


The Firefly that Guards the Fox

by magicalsalamander



Series: The Firefly that Guards the Fox [1]
Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst and Tragedy, Attempted Murder, Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Childhood Sweethearts, Childhood Trauma, Crimes & Criminals, Domestic Fluff, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fox Hybrid Kim Taehyung | V, Friends to Lovers, Gangs, Heavy Angst, Hybrid Kim Taehyung | V, Investigator Kim taehyung, K-Pop - Freeform, K-pop fanfic, K-pop imagines, K-pop scenarios, Lawyer Kim Taehyung | V, Mafia alternative universe, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Organized Crime, Private Investigators, Revenge, Romance, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Supernatural Creatures, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tragedy, bts - Freeform, bts fanfic, bts imagines, bts scenarios
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 02:25:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 93,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16845322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalsalamander/pseuds/magicalsalamander
Summary: His mother and father weren’t supposed to fall in love. They weren’t supposed to find a mate in one another.They weren’t supposed to.After losing his father years ago, Taehyung vows to find and avenge the injustice his family has gone through. You were childhood friends with Taehyung. The four of you Taehyung, Hoseok, your older brother and you were inseparable. You were torn apart from Taehyung, your fox who’ve you’ve always vowed to protect and be with, without a warning. He called you Firefly, you called him Tae-Tae the fox. Was your fate supposed to end there in the past with your childhood?





	1. Chapter 1

His mother and father weren’t supposed to fall in love. They weren’t supposed to find a mate in one another. They weren’t supposed to.

His father was already at the pound four years before she was even alive. Dhole’s are a rare hybrid to find, but people don’t often like wild dogs; only a niche group look for his kind. Mostly the bunnies, cats, or dogs were always leaving the crib almost as soon as they left the womb. He was there to see her come in swaddled by a purple blanket and be placed in the newborn room. There was a window that allowed for any adopters to take a look at the fresh ones if they didn’t want an older hybrid. She was special, a red fox hybrid, and just as rare as he was. She wasn’t all that different from him, not too far in the phylogenic tree from him. Once all the nurses made their rounds and left and no potential adopters were around, he made his way into the newborn room. He approached her crib and he reached out to stoke her cheek and wrap her up tighter. She latched onto his index finger and it was then that he knew she was someone he wanted to watch over and protect.

The pound was a cruel place; the hybrids didn’t have names but numbers. He was 049124 and she was 87532. He didn’t like referring to her as a number and gave her a name calling her Peanut, and when she was old enough she called him Jelly. The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they always served for lunch was their inspiration. Despite the dietary needs of the hybrids, they feed them high carbs and low protein to keep them weak. She loved those sandwiches though and said peanut butter pairs perfectly with jelly. She figured since he calls her peanut she would call him jelly.

They played in the play room together when she was six and he was ten. Adopters could observe this room as well and choose from the older lot if they didn’t want a newborn. Even with the age gap they got along well because she always acted mature for her age and was usually the more reasonable one of the two. She was the brain and he was the brawn. No one ever picked them though, claiming that taking care of such a special species is so expensive and they want something cute not exotic. She would often get sad that no one was picking them up, but he would always hug her and sing her to sleep with one of the songs they heard from a movie that always played on the channel that never changed in the play room. She would instantly calm down in his embrace.

When they got older and she was seventeen and him twenty-one they were still at the pound, but it didn’t bother them because they had eachother. As time went by their platonic best friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship. They would sneak secret kisses and longing hugs when the nurses weren’t looking. It was after all forbidden for hybrids to be in a relationship at the pound, they were just stock meant to be sold. At night when all the lights were out, and the nurses were asleep at their station she would sneak into his room claiming she didn’t want to be alone. He would gladly let her slip into his bed. They would kiss and hold eachother, but the kisses grew more passionate and heated leading to tangled sheets.

She was three months along when they confirmed that she was indeed with a kit. She already knew when he leaned his head against her stomach and heard a second heartbeat. He promised to her that this was the happiest moment of his life besides the moment he met her. He kissed her and asked her to marry him. “Silly, we can’t get married.” He looked at her and stated clearly, “maybe not here, but I want you to be my wife.” Understanding him better she kissed him again and now called to him with a new name, my husband. They did their best to hide it, but her morning sickness didn’t go unnoticed by the staff. The staff was livid that she was carrying a child. They couldn’t legally take the child from her and sell it either, she wasn’t a breeding hybrid. They told her into the doctor’s office and she was scheduled for an abortion in a few days when the pills would come in the mail. She was panicking and begging the nurses not to make her give up her child. They even separated her from him isolating her in a room and him in a cage. She grew ill from stress and anxiety, especially the separation. Her normally rosy apple cheeks were now hollowing and dull from her normal radiance faded.

At night a few days after the separation, he was able to escape his cage after monitoring the guard’s patterns. He unlatched the carabiner that held the guard’s keys hooked onto one of his belt loops when he walked by the cage spewing slurs at him. He hid them under his pillow and waited for the guard to go to sleep to make his escape. He wasn’t a fox, but he shared genetics and learned a few things over the years being with you. She used to be able to sneak an extra sandwich from the trays and split it to share. He made it out quietly of his cage when the guard was asleep on a chair facing the tv lowly humming a sitcom. He snuck his way down the hallway when the nurses lingering finally rounded the corner and tuned into her scent and the two familiar heartbeats.

He knocked on her door calling softly to her, afraid of waking anyone. She bolted out of the corner of the room she’s curled herself into. She jiggled the door handle, but it wouldn’t give. “Calm down Peanut, I’m here. Give me a second.” He tried any of the keys and after seven unsuccessful attempts the door finally opened. She threw her arms around him, but before returning the embrace he shushed her looking around for anyone and said, “Let’s run away. Let’s get out of here! We can live happily together—the three of us.” Without any hesitation she agreed nodding so fast it translated as a blur of ears flopping up and down;” Anything is better than these white walls”. Even though they grew up here they shared no sentiment to these walls.

With nothing to their name, they snuck pass the front desk of sleeping nurses and made their way to the shelter’s kitchen. They pushed open the back door that lead to the delivery dock. The night was covered in a thick fog that grew more ominous culture with yellow flood lights. The door’s trigger alarm went off signaling someone opened the emergency exit door. Shocked with the noise they clasped eachothers hand and he cupped her face with his other, “Don’t look back! Keep running, run peanut!” She always listened to him and this time she took it to heart. Their feet carried them to the end of the parking lot and slipping through a few crooked bars. They were just wide enough to squeeze through the opening in the iron fence. She slipped after him protecting her belly from the rusted ends of the protruding bars.

On the dock behind them they heard, “They’re over there! Get ‘em boys!” The sound of hound hybrids barking and hitting the pavement in a sprint was enough incentive for them to pick up their pace. Stumbling over foliage they made their way into the dense tree line of the forest. The sound of barking and pound officers (sickly nicknamed poachers amongst the hybrids for their cruel nature) on their tail didn’t slow. Their lungs were burning, and she was slowing down. He reassured her, “Peanut, please, don’t give up now. Keep going for our kit.” Nodding in understanding she kept up with him maintaining the pace forward. The night sky didn’t help, but they followed the stars they could see through the breaks in the clouds. They came upon a river surrounded by walls of eroding cliffs that was at least a third of a mile (five hundred meters) wide. He looked at her and said, “Trust me on this.” He took her by the hand and jogged down the small decline and directly into the murky, cold water that was hip deep. He removed his shirt and hers and let it flow down the river. This would throw off their scent long enough and have them go a different direction than the poachers.

He looked around the cliffs and saw a little cave tucked away down the river. They made their way to the dark cave fighting against the currents pulling away the curtain of vines that covered the entrance. He pulled her close to him to minimize the effect of cold water and in comfort. “We’re going to be okay Peanut. We’re going to be okay.” He could hear both of their heartbeats racing and tugged themselves further into the water to their shoulders to dull the raging sounds. In his mind he kept apologizing to them both, he never wanted her to be in a situation like this; he would fight for his freedom, his little family’s freedom, if that’s what it took. The sound of barking got closer and eventually they heard footsteps above them and splashing from another group close by in the water. He covered her mouth roughly not being able to see in the dark with his hand to soften her whimpers of fear. He even put a hand over his own mouth to soften his harsh breathing. The hounds sniffed the air and lead them close to hidden cave in the water. The hound’s heads shot up and they started barking and running down the river where they let their shirts drift away to. The sound of splashing and thrashing in the water drifted farther and the sounds above stopped. They waited a few minutes and even a while longer after the sound of the officers and hounds disappeared. He embraced her tightly and repeated, “I love you so much.” She whispered it back in between the chattering of her teeth. The moon was high in the sky by the time they made it past the veil of vines in the cave back to the river. They made it past the river and wandered into a small town miles out. The population was only about a hundred people overall, so the chances of running into someone was scarce.

An abandon home in poor condition stood out at the end of the trees clearing. It held a grim aura with the very wood that was its foundation falling off the home’s walls evident from water damage. It was enough to assume this place was empty. They looked at eachother knowingly, at this point they just wanted to rest and proceeded with caution. He broke open the bloated, water damaged front door and stepped inside to the musky smelling living room. He found covered furniture and random knickknacks all haphazardly laying around. Everything seemed untouched for decades with the outdated antiques. The dust quantity was thick, so he covered his mouth with his hand and proceeded forward. He told her to wait by in the living room while he checked the rest of the house. He lowered himself with his ears flat against him using his Dhole’s ability to creep silently. What seemed to be a master bedroom had a slightly tattered mattress on the floor and the other rooms had boxes of old clothing. He called for her and gave her a change of clothes to get out of their wet ones. They pulled off the sheets covering the furniture in the living room and propped a lingering chair under the bedroom door to prevent anyone from coming in. They beat the dust out of the mattress the best they could and laid down together. They made pillows out of extra clothing adjusting themselves as close together as possible. They fell asleep purring and holding each other tight. He kissed her forehead reassuring her that they made it and all would be okay.

The next morning, they heard the front door creaking open and chattering echo from the living room down the empty hallway. He shot up from his sleep and shook her awake. His ears were searching out the sounds to identify if it may be the poachers. She rubbed her eyes and then sat up hearing the noise from the front. He made his way to the living room with a broken off piece of wood from the house and she grappled to the back of his shirt behind him. They were ready to run again if needed. Once they caught an equally shocked elderly couple standing amongst the furniture in the living room, they tensed and he lifted the wood plank. He had the post in the air ready to swing, but stopped seeing the elderly couple raise their hands up in surrender. He lowered it slightly protectively across his chest with both hands ready, not trusting them completely and started to growl at them. The couple lowered their raised hands slightly and the elderly woman announced, “dear, we’re not here to hurt you. We heard noises coming from here last night and wanted to check on it in the daylight. Honey, please tell them.” She turned to the old man and he nodded and continued, “please, we won’t hurt you. Put down the plank boy. Are you both okay?” Unsure of the couple he exchanged looks with his wife, but because he couldn’t sense any aggression from them he let it rest at his side. “Better” the older woman exclaimed. “I don’t know where you two are from, but it’s for sure not from the likes of around here. Come over to our house, its right next door about a hundred yards away, and get warmed up and fill your bellies.” With a growl in appreciation from her stomach she stepped away from behind him and the older woman gasped, “Oh, well the three of you are more than welcome to come over.” She held onto jelly’s forearm and nodded indicating she trusted them.

The old couple was so nice. They offered them a bath, food and a place to stay for the meanwhile. Their daughter, whom married a golden retriever hybrid, both joined them later greeting the couple. She was also pregnant and expecting soon.

Peanut and Jelly stayed at their home for a while, but Peanut went back to the abandon house and started renovating. They couldn’t afford to buy a brand-new home, but they were going to be resourceful. The daughter’s husband even joined and helped him clean up the house. It was crowded with everyone in the house and he didn’t want to keep mooching off the kind family. They were able to sell some of the odds and ends in the house and repair some of the furniture for use. They built a picket fence around the lot and in a few months the house was as good as new with the modern renovations. The blacken and dark brown wood was now replaced with fresh wood that was painted white. While the husbands were out fixing the home, the elderly woman taught her how to cook, clean and even sew. She became the mother she never had. She even gained a sister and brother figure with the other young couple. The ever so kind family helped them get anything they needed for the new house.

Six months later her water broke, and the baby was coming. He didn’t know what to do with his wife hunched over in pain, so he called over the elderly woman and the daughter, who also had given birth recently, to come help. They ran over and went to work as soon as they saw her on the floor. Labor was eight hours long, but it gave them a healthy red fox. The boy cried after he came out but hushed when he was placed on his mother’s chest skin to skin. He leaned down and cooed at his son, “Hey little man. Welcome to the world!” His son’s small hand latched onto his and held onto his dad’s finger. He smiled the biggest grin and shed tear, he’s definitely his mother’s child. The elderly woman cooed out, “What will you name him?” She looked up and said, “Jelly, can we name him Taehyung? I really like that name.” He smiled and placed a kiss on her sweaty forehead and said “Of course, Peanut.”

Four years later

His mom was hanging up the bed sheets on the clothing line in the backyard and filtered the warm Summer light scattering random prints on the grass. Taehyung ran through the drying sheets giggling at the top of his lungs. His mom scolded him saying he’s going to pull down the sheets and she’ll have to wash them again. He changed his direction of motion and started chasing the bugs around the yard. There was a frog that always frequented his yard from the nearby river bank. He started imitating the frog and even ribbiting causing his mom to laugh at his antics. He turned and gave his mom a boxy smile. Taehyung’s father even found a job not too long after he was born. There was another resident about ten minutes away that owned acres of land that he used as a farm. His father discovered he had a green thumb and even planted a small garden in their own yard. They took to the town’s culture and community with ease, everyone was accepting of hybrids. It was almost like a sanctuary and the town took to them just as easily. They even got discounts at the local farmers market now.

When his father came home from work they would all come outside and lay on the low platform bed (pyung sang) and nibble on fruit for dessert. His mother was peeling apples and his dad laid on his back with his hands behind his head. Taehyung set his head on his dad’s abs and imitated his position. After years of working hard labor his dad became muscular and even could carry Taehyung on one of his arms. They would watch the stars while a low hum from the portable radio would play. His dad told him stories of the stars, how they were fireflies that sacrificed themselves to become big lights to guide people at night. They’re the guardians of the night. Taehyung so excited about his dad’s story shot up from his spot and went to run in the yard stirring up the resting fireflies on the blades of grass. They filled up the patio flying erratically around, over and under. Taehyung’s dad sat up smiling at his son, when Taehyung brought his hands clasped to his parents back on the platform. On his knees he sat in front of his parents and opened his hands, “Look dad, a guardian!” He laughed and ruffled his son’s hair and brought him in to sit on his lap to observe the light show together. He kissed his son’s forehead and said, “I love you Tae.” He turned to his wife and placed a gentle kiss on her lips and finished his statement, “I love you, forever and always.” She smiled and scooted closer leaning her head on his shoulder and Taehyung leaned into his dad’s chest. Nights like these were always– perfect.

Taehyung’s mom was in the kitchen and Taehyung was sitting outside with Hoseok flicking pebbles to see who could get them the farthest. Hoseok’s mom was best friends with his mom and asked her to baby sit her son while she ran some errands. They’ve always been close and since they were born only months a part they felt like real brothers. One of the pebbles Taehyung flicked landed on the frog that always hung out in his yard. “Froggy, I’m sorry. No, don’t leave, I didn’t mean to hit you!” Taehyung ran after the frog who slipped through the white picket fence that surrounded the property. “Froggy!”, Taehyung called after the escaping frog. Without thinking he unlatched the gate and ran after his little buddy. Hoseok looked back inside to see Tae’s mom busy prepping for lunch, leaving him with no choice to follow Taehyung and bring him back. He didn’t like the frog that much after all, he was kind of willing to let it go.

Hoseok ran after Taehyung catching up with him soon enough to the shore of the river bank where the frog actually lived. Taehyung went into the water trying to fish Froggy out to apologize, but stood back up empty handed. He started to sob, “I didn’t mean it Froggy!” They heard some crunching of twigs and leaves and both turned around. In shock Taehyung stopped sobbing immediately.

You and your big brother would often spend the Summer running around trying to find something to do after your morning chores were done. Your grandpa always told you two to be back by sunset and not go off too far. You were a tomboy, not entirely your choice but as four-year-old kid it worked. Your choppy bowl cut your grandmother cut for you, and hand me downs from your older brother solidified the masculine vibe about you. Your choppy bowl haircut was because your grandma couldn’t hold the bowl still. It kept sliding and she kept cutting not realizing the uneven lines resulting in a lopsided choppy haircut. You didn’t mind though, only when the other kids in the neighborhood called you a boy. Your brother taught you enough defense on how to beat them up, you put it to use on them. Although he didn’t teach you to respond to violence with violence, these boys wouldn’t leave you alone. Your brother was seven and was told to look after you when you both wander. He was the kind of big brother you could always rely on and would be the first in action when it came to you. You came from a poor household that always lived pay check to pay check. Your parents were always gone working multiple jobs just to keep everyone feed. Your grandparents were too old and sick to go out and gets jobs, so they stayed back and raised you both. This is why you and your brother were outside on this hot Summer day, you couldn’t afford toys or an air conditioner so outside it is. You decided to hangout by the river bank and set your feet in the cool water. The trees always provided a nice shade and the river boulders were great seats.

You and your brother made your way off the dirt road and walked down the hill to the emerald river bank. You told your brother you’d race him to see who gets there first but of course he wins with his longer legs. Your shorter legs and shoes that had holes in them often slowed you down. You huffed when you arrived a second later at the bank, but you both turned to your side to catch sight of a boy digging into the river and then crying. You approached the pair and up front asked, “What’s wrong? Are you guys hurt? Did you lose something?” Taehyung shook his head and said through his sobs, “Froggy. He ran away and I hurt him on accident. I really didn’t mean to.” You and your brother honestly only caught parts of it since he was a blubbering mess so Hoseok interpreted for you both. Oh’s flowed afterwards, finally understanding and your brother was first to offer help in searching for Froggy. This helped ease Taehyung’s sadness and you went to pat his head only then taking in his ears and tail and then ears and tail on Hoseok. “Who are you guys by the way?” Hoseok stood up from his place among the river bed and said, “I’m Hoseok but call me Hobi, I live right over there. I’m a dog hybrid.” He stated when he was noticed your staring. Taehyung then spoke, “I’m Taehyung but call me Tae, and I live right there. I’m a fox hybrid.” You smiled and then introduced yourself, “I’m Y/N call me Y/N, and I’m human. That’s my older brother, he’s human too.” Laughing at how silly you guys sounded you kept searching for Froggy.

A larger rustling sounded through brush and Taehyung’s mother came in the clearing. “There you are! Why did you guys run off, I was so scared!” She sighed in relief and went to check on the two boys and then looked to you guys. “Oh, hello, I didn’t know you made some friends Tae and Hobi.” You and your brother waved hello and introduced yourselves. “Well, would your new friends like to come play in the yard where I can watch you guys. I made some sandwiches, enough for everyone.” She was petting Taehyung’s ears and patting Hoseok’s head in question. You answered happily, “Yes! Please, can we?” His mother nodded and escorted you four back to the house forgetting Froggy’s apology.

An afternoon with sandwiches and playing yard games they could think of became a daily routine. You and your brother made it over to his house or Hoseok’s house to play after morning chores. The one time your parents let you and your brother sleep over at Taehyung’s with Hoseok too, you all laid out on the low platform outside not wanting to go to sleep just yet. His mother was nice enough to give them candies she got from the local market. They were all nibbling on their treats when Taehyung interrupted, “Do you guys know the legend of the stars?” Everyone turned to him, but no one had a clue to what he was talking about. Taking the silence as his cue he continued, “my dad told me that the stars in the sky are actually fireflies. They stay far, far away so that they can shine a big enough light to protect us at night. He calls them the Guardians.” Hanging on every word he said they turned to the sky again taking in the Guardians, “wow”, only came out of Hoseok’s mouth. Taehyung sat up and put his arms up in the sky, “You guys are like my fireflies, my best friends!” All giggling at his statement, your brother shot up and with his fist in the air, “we are the Guardians!” Everyone joined him afterwards in chant and went to run around the yard waking the resting fireflies. You all were running around the yard, but a single firefly landed on your nose and Taehyung looked at you and blushed, “my firefly.”

A year went by and it was already Summer again. In the fall you, Taehyung and Hoseok were supposed to go start school together. Nothing much changed from your everyday routines. You guys would always wander to eachothers house. Your brother went out shopping with your grandma to carry the groceries for her. You were with you grandpa at the house finishing your chores. Haphazardly finishing everything, excited to spend another day on a new adventure, you yelled to your grandpa goodbye as you were already out the door. Today was hot so you wanted to go down to the river bank again and soak away the heat. Your grandpa laughed as you were trying to run out the door with your shoes half on, he called after you to be home before dark. That day you did spend it by the river bank with Taehyung and Hoseok. You even got to test out the new hammock that Tae’s dad hung up. Your big brother came later after helping your grandma put away the groceries. You all played till sundown where orange, pink and lavender shadows covered the floor. They all parted with Hoseok going back home, Taehyung going up the hill and you and your brother down the dirt road a few minutes from home.

Earlier that day Taehyung’s dad went to work with a lunch bag in hand from his wife. He kissed her goodbye and even came back for seconds before finally walking away. She went back inside to make breakfast for her and Taehyung, who was still sleeping. He clocked in with his boss and went into the field with other workers. He was pulling weeds out of the pepper plants and fertilizing them after. The plants tower high to his waist. After hours of working nearing time to go back home, he sees a van and black and white car pull up to the front of the of the produce sorting building. Four men got out of the vehicles, two in police outfits and the other two in khaki outfits. He recognized the outfits, it’s the same one from the pound. His eyes widened, he hasn’t heard from or seen them in five years. He was so sure he lost them long ago; that enough time has passed for his family to be safe. He ran and ducked below the plant line he ran into the neighboring apple tree orchard. He hid behind the trees to make sure he was concealed.

The police and pound officers approached some line workers and asked where their boss was. They pointed towards an office door situated near one of the sorting machines. The police officers thanked them and carried on towards the office. The poachers snuck out to the fields to look for the hybrid they came for. One tall, bulky officer knocked on the door and while chewing gum obnoxiously, “Hey, old man. You in there? We have a warrant to search around for a hybrid.” Hearing the commotion, the old man who took his father under his wing and acted like a father to him answered the door. “I’m sorry officer, but I don’t have any hybrid labor on this farm. I don’t employee hybrids.”

His father has told the farmer before about how he ended up in this town and promised to keep his secret from anyone who ask. The cop stood up straighter and adjust his belt tucking in his shirt farther down his pants.” Look old man, I don’t want to do this the hard way but if you don’t tell me what I want you leave me with no choice.” The old man kept insisting, “I don’t have a hybrid employee. You’ve must’ve gotten a false call.” The cop sighed and spit out his gum on the carpeted floor. He closed the door behind him while the other officer waited outside and adjusted his button up sleeves to his elbows. Fear was in the old man’s eyes and he began to pace back until he hit his desk. The officer then turned around and threw a punch knocking the old man to the floor. He kicked him in the stomach once with a grunt and then crouched down to him. “You sure you want to test me buddy?” The old man kept his promise though.

The cop exhaled outwardly got back up and ran his hand through his now out of place gelled back hair. He turned around abruptly and violently kicked the old man again. The old man was spitting up blood and his eye was puffing and darkening with a blossoming bruise. The door suddenly opened with the two poachers and Taehyung’s father was thrown to the floor in front of the old man. His father’s hands were tied behind his back and a rope tight around his neck that was strapped back to one of the poacher’s wrist. They stepped on his tail and he let out a heavy yelp. The other officer was standing guard at the door, monitoring other employees who were looking worriedly at the door and shocked seeing their friend being dragged. The police officer chimed in, “Well, well, well, what do we have here? It seems like a hybrid was here after all!”, he says in a cynical voice. He came stand in front of his father and yanked his head back forcing the hybrid to make eye contact with the officer. Tae’s dad growls and snaps his jaw towards the hand within reach. The grip in his hair only gets tighter and he spits in Taehyung father’s face, “dirty mongrel, you hybrids are nothing but filth.” His father flinched away yelling in disgust. The officer let go of his hair and his dad eyes moved to the old man in front of him. He couldn’t take his eyes off the old man on the floor. The older man looked back to him with one eye only able to open and told him without any words “it’s okay.” The officer beat his father shouting slurs with every hit before calling in on his radio that they’ve caught the hybrid. They drug Taehyung’s father to his feet and tightened the rope around his neck. Before he was dragged out the office he spit out the blood in his mouth and said to the old man still on the floor, “tell my Peanuts that I love them very much.” He was then dragged out of the building and forced into the cage in the back of the van. He viciously snarled at them through the bars, but they prodded him with a shock rod. He curled back in pain and the poachers laughed at his misery. Both vehicles left as if nothing ever happened with their captive; everything was eeriely silent in the aftermath.

The old man used his desk to prop himself up knocking his name plate and pencil cup over and shuffled his way out of the room. He had blood on him and couldn’t see out of his right eye, but he had to fulfill a mission before he gave into the pain. Other employees were looking at him with wide eyes and one employee who was close to Taehyung’s father ran up to him and asked what happened. He didn’t respond to him about what happened inside his office but asked for him to drive him in his pickup to Taehyung’s father home. The guy didn’t want to waste any more time with questions he wasn’t going to get the answers to yet and hung the old man’s arm around his shoulder and helped him to the truck.

The drive was relatively short to the house. The old man knocked on the front door hard and continuously until it was opened. Jelly opened the door taking in what happened. Cupping the old man’s face in her hand she asked what happened, but he didn’t respond to that question instead said, “You need to go. You need to get far away from here.” Her eyes widened, and Taehyung appeared beside her leaving his drawing on the coffee table behind,” Mom?” She was frozen in place and kept repeating no like a mantra. Tears filled her eyes, but his dad’s coworker held her up and said, “You need to go. Now!” The old man took a second and told her the last words he said to him, “he told me to tell you that he loves both his peanuts very much.” Sobs started wreck through his mom, he was so confused, why would dad send his message through someone else. Why was he late to coming home?

He tugged at the hem of her skirt and that broke her sobs when she went to look him in the face. “Mom, what’s wrong?” She wiped her tears and spoke swiftly,” Tae, were going to go away on a trip for a while. We’ll meet dad at the meeting spot honey. We need to leave now.” She left Taehyung at the door with the two men and grabbed a suit case out of the closet to pack clothes and important things. She was able to finish packing in a few minutes and slipped from the frames next to their bed a family portrait and a photo of the four kids together into the suitcase. She came back to the front door leaving everything behind. She took Taehyung’s hand and her set of house keys off the key rack and closed the door behind her. She took the keys in case one day they get to return. She doubted it would ever happen, but just in case. The men asked her if she had anywhere to go and she nodded, “We’ve planned for a day like this.” She hugged both men and bid them goodbye and said to the old man, “Thanks dad, for everything.”

His mom walked with him to Hoseok’s house next door, but Hoseok wasn’t home running errands for his mom. When his mother knocked on the door, right away Hoseok’s mom answered. She looked at the baggage then back to her best friend’s and immediately she knew. She brought her in to a tight hug and started crying and then held Taehyung. She called for her husband and he came running to his wife. He took notice of the scene and became serious suddenly, “go call your relatives I’ll get the car ready.”

Shortly after they came to the town, before the kids were born, they told their story to the family and planned just in case the poachers find them. They always hoped it would never have to come down to this. Hoseok’s mom quietly pulled her to the side when Taehyung went inside, where her husband was, but she just got a shake of her head as a response and more tears. She brought her in to a tight embrace and comforting her the best way she could. Hoseok’s mom went inside and called her relatives. Her aunt, who lived in the city, was in on the plan and let them use an extra space in the house as a hide out. His mom thanked her a million times, but Taehyung was so lost watching everything. ”Mom, can I tell Y/N and her brother goodbye before we go?” His mom leaned down to him cupping his face, “Honey, we don’t have time for that, but I’m sure your friends will understand.” He just nodded, not completely understanding anything but he trusted his mom.

The three of them were in the car with Taehyung in the backseat and the luggage in the trunk. His mom had one last hug with Hoseok’s mom then his mom kissed her husband and said, “be safe, please.” They pulled out onto the dirt road and were gone. Taehyung looked out the backseat window to the night sky resting his head on the door. It was a very dark and starless night.

The distance from the small town to the city was about an hour and a half away. The highway was the fastest way to reach their destination, even though going through the side streets were safer. Taehyung curled up with Hoseok’s dad’s jacket and fell asleep somewhere within the first fifteen minutes. He was lulled to sleep by the humming of the car and exhausted from playing in the river bank all day. His mother was talking softly to Hoseok’s dad to kept distracted.

Before he knew it Hoseok’s dad was picking him up and cradling him in his arms out of the backseat. They parked a few streets away and arrived on a tucked away neighborhood that had houses sitting right next to eachother. It was deep in the inner streets off the main road. The houses he saw when he opened his eyes and looked around the slightly run-down area that had an outdated and old feeling to them. He snuggled further into Hoseok’s dad, not comfortable yet with his new environment. His mother behind him with the suitcase followed Hoseok’s dad into a gate and up stairs to the first-floor level of a house. The door opened to be greeted by Hoseok’s mom family. There was a mom, dad, daughter around the same age as Taehyung and a boy younger than Taehyung. His mom went through the formalities and was shown back out the front door to round the side of the house leading to stairs that declined to the semi-basement room. The metal door took a bit of force to open, but when inside it was half decent. It wasn’t dingy, but it didn’t feel like home either. It was a medium size room with an attached full bathroom. A full-size bed that used to be their daughters and had random sheets and pillow cases was set up taking up majority of the space. They were allowed to come up to the main house and use the kitchen. He laid Taehyung on the bed and told him to go back to sleep, “see you soon kiddo.” Taehyung only curled in to the blankets and fell asleep. His mother went to walk out with Hoseok’s dad and thanked him for everything. He told her not to thank him, “you’re family after all.” She brought him in for a hug and he got in his car and returned home with a heavy heart.

His mom came back into the room and laid next to him. She shushed her kit when he started whining and sang him a lullaby, the same one peanut used to, into deeper sleep. Tears rolled down from her eyes in silence as she finally got to sit with herself, “Where are you Peanut?”


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning you woke up and finished all your chores like a rabid tornado with legs. You were looking forward to seeing your friends today and made your way over to Taehyung’s house with your brother for once trying to keep up with you instead. Growing impatient waiting for him to catch up you took his arm in yours and dragged him next to you,” for once keep up slow poke.” He gave you a “oh, please” look, but you just winked knowing it would rile him up. You stuck out your tongue out towards him and he chased after you, both laughing at your stupid antics, and you came up to Tae’s front door slightly out of breath. You knocked on the door in a pattern the four of you created to let eachother know it was you at the door, but there was no response. You repeated the knock again, but when nothing stirred you looked into the living room window and saw no one and heard nothing. Not even Froggy’s ribbit.

You and your brother went around the house rustling through the bushes to the sliding glass door and looked inside. There was a crack between the curtain, but the inside was dark and hollow of any sign of life. He looked over to you with somber eyes, “nothing, it’s empty.” Panic set in your heart, Tae was the loudest being you’ve become acquainted with. His mom was always doing something in the house be it cleaning or cooking. She always played the portable radio and was dancing as she cooked. It was never quiet in the Kim’s house. You stared at eachother with worried expressions and ran to Hoseok’s incase they were over there for the day. “Please be over there, please be there.” You knocked rapidly on the door and Hoseok’s mom opened the door surprising to you two. “Good morning, Kiddos. Hoseok’s in the living room come in.” You both thanked his mom and ran into the living room to find Hoseok sitting on the couch not even paying attention to the cartoons on TV looking sad. They ran up to him and questioned him where Tae was. He looked up with saddened eyes and said, “Mom said he’s gone on a trip. I don’t know when he’s coming back.” Shocked at the news your brother questioned first, “…for how long?” Hoseok shrugged his shoulders in uncertainty. You fell to your knees in disbelief that your best friend wouldn’t even tell you he’s leaving and not knowing when he’s going to return. Tae wouldn’t do that to you guys, he even told you the size of his feces when he was impressed. You knew everything about eachother, or so you thought. You all three sat in silence. You were the Guardians, but you lost the fox.

You didn’t feel like hanging out anymore today; you were too disheartened by the news and started walking back home. Your brother decided to stay back and play video games with Hoseok, he trusted you enough to make it back home alone. He knew a way to cheer up Hoseok was to keep routine. Even if Tae wasn’t there they were still going to try to beat his top score, so when he came back they could show him their sweet victory.

You walked down the dirt road but stopped when unfamiliar black and white cars and a van pulled up to Tae’s house. Why were the police at Tae’s house? With quick thinking you ditched the dirt road and ran down the hill that lead to the river bank, but back up the other side leading to the back of Tae’s house. You hid close enough in the trees behind Tae’s house, specifically behind a thick oak tree observing from above. You climbed up the tree and sat on a hanging branch that concealed you enough but still had a good view of the people at his door. The police approached the front door and knocked. Hound hybrids were on leashes lead by pound officers to the front of the houses. When they got no response one specific officer, who was tall but had over gelled back hair, commanded the pound officer to lead the hounds around the corner of the house around to the back. They were sniffing the perimeter and the left-out toys in the yard. You tried leaning in closer to hear what they were saying, but you only caught snippets of their conversation. “The bitch and the pup…no one’s here? The mongrel must’ve told his family somehow…” You were confused what did they mean who told his family about what? Why was the police here and with pound officers looking for Tae’s family? They continued, “that fucker is going to pay, five years of searching….no one escapes me.” Escape? Tae’s family is in danger? You start tearing up and hiccup from holding back your voice and breath. A hound looked in your direction and you held your hand over your mouth to mute the noise. He goes back to his sniffing the perimeter and ignores the noise, he must’ve mistaken you to for a bird. Once the officers and hounds made their way back into the vehicles coming up empty handed and not tracking a scent, you slipped down the tree but one of the many hole in your shoe gets stuck in a protruding bark and you fall to the ground. Your so upset that you don’t bother getting up and cry on the dirt floor. Why? Why your best friend! You were so confused and afraid. Those men looked terrifying, but they were supposed to protect people. You made your way back home but you kept what you saw to yourself, not sure who to tell or what you saw meant.

A week before Summer ended and school was due to start, Hoseok announced to you and your brother that he’s moving to the city. His parents found better jobs in the city and they wanted to move closer to his Aunt. His grandparents passed away three years ago and left the house to them. His parents originally lived in the city before he was born, but moved back to take care of his grandparents. They sold the house and spent the money on a new life in the city. He promised to write you both and call when the house phone gets set up to keep in contact. You shared tearful goodbye watching him get in the moving truck and leave with his parents.

You waited patiently. Months passed, then a year passed, then three, and after ten you stopped keeping track. Tae wasn’t coming back and Hoseok never called or sent the letters he promised. You and your brother had eachother, but as time went by he graduated high school first and left for the military. Your personality changed from bright and carefree to studious and cold. At least that’s how classmates described you, truthfully you were still the same old person, but you didn’t want to open up to anyone; you’d rather be on your own. You took your education and studying very serious. You wanted to get out of this town too, just like Taehyung, Hoseok and your brother. Your family didn’t have the money to send you to college, so you worked hard to get scholarships. It was either go to school or marry a farm boy. You weren’t going to settle in life for a mediocre plotline.

Walking in the door barely slipping your shoe off and removing your high school’s uniform blazer, your grandmother stopped you from getting any more comfortable. She asked you if you would go back out and pick up some apples up for her at the farm. Not having the heart to deny her because she was more your own mom than your own mom, you agreed. Despite how tired you were, you were now looking forward to her apple pie you slipped your shoes back on. You went to visit the old man at the farm because your grandmother wanted some fresh apples from only his orchard. She insisted he had the sweetest apple’s and the ones from the grocery store didn’t taste as good. Her apple pie was only perfect with local apples. Your brother was still away in the military having joined a few years ago, so you went alone. He wasn’t good at school, but knew to get a stable job you need college. He wanted the government to pay for his education if he couldn’t get a scholarship or financial aid.

You trekked on your own and came up on the produce sorting building and walked in through the dock entrance. The old man always let you come and pick apples for a discounted price. You greeted all the familiar aunties and uncles and went to knock on the old man’s office. You stopped before you knocked because you heard a name you haven’t heard in a long time. You heard him on the phone discussing heatedly with someone. “Taehyung…look, what happened all those years ago should be left there. The poachers won’t stop until they get the whole family. Yes, I know what kind of risk this is, but I can’t. Yeah, u-huh. I don’t know, I really don’t know what happened afterwards. Look, I’ll talk to you later okay?”

At that point you stopped listening, not wanting to believe what you just heard. It confirmed what you saw and heard all those years ago. You took steps back and further back until your back hit some boxes. Tears were flowing down your cheeks in streams. Taehyung’s dad was taken and him and his mom were in danger this whole time. You ran away as fast as you could. You ended up in one of the many rows of orange trees and fell to your knees sobbing. You had so much anger built up against him for leaving you. It all just flooded out of you as you yelled out, yelling at the world for taking away someone so important to you and taking someone away important to him. His family treated you like their own. They knew your parents were gone all the time and subtly took over the roll. It was more than just losing a best friend, but your makeshift family. You ended up stopping by the market on your way home when it was already dark outside and the crickets chirped and got some apples from there. You couldn’t go back. The pie truly didn’t taste the same.

You spent the night trying to study but your mind wouldn’t let you think of anything else besides Taehyung. You sat at your makeshift desk on your bed and thought and thought. These moments inspired you and you decided right then and there that you were going to become a lawyer. You were going to become a lawyer that protected hybrids and their rights. You weren’t going to let hybrids go through what Tae went through. The firefly was glowing again.

You graduated high school valedictorian, but you couldn’t attend the national University you wanted to go to. Your scholarship and financial aid wouldn’t cover tuition, living expenses, books and eating. You decided to enroll into the just as good state university where you could pay for everything, well at least school expenses. You still had to take up part time jobs while you were taking classes. You made it out of the small town, just like the rest and that’s all that matters. You ended up finding a cheap rooftop apartment that was half an hour away from the school by bus. It didn’t have any insulation, but it did have a rickety door and leaky roof; it was home. You shared it with your brother, he was rarely there anyways always out on his military missions, but when he was it was nice. Majority of time you weren’t home much either, you were either in one of your four class, in the library or at work.

During your second-year things took an unexpected turn, your grandparents were getting worse with their ailments and your dad got injured at work. You made a trip back home with your brother and found out your dad wouldn’t be able to return to work for three months. Your mom now stayed home to take care of your grandparents, so they wouldn’t have any income. With no choice you decided to drop your classes this semester, so you could pick up more shifts and jobs. You were able to manage a full-time schedule working at a diner during the day and working a part time job waitressing at a bar at night. You only slept four hours a day maximum and never could take a day off. Even when others dropped shifts, or couldn’t make it in you were the first to raise your hand. You sent as much money you could every month. Your brother helped this whole time as well, but he wasn’t getting much being a lower ranking private. Your dad got better and was able to return to work when December came around.

Your grandfather passed away the following Spring and your grandmother followed behind shortly after not able to handle her broken heart. You couldn’t attend the actual funeral, but you made it to the spreading of their ashes along the river. You ended up having to take the spring semester off as well to help your parents pay for the funeral expenses.

You eventually made it through college and it took you six years, but you made it! You graduated with honors and a degree in political science. Your brother was able to make it into the special forces. He made his dream come true. Immediately after your bachelors you applied to your school’s law program and made it in the following semester and that took another three years. You passed the bar exam your first year in the program on your first try. You studied in between your jobs when the lull was slow, and it helped your classes covered things on the exam as well. The studying part was finally over.

You still lived at the rooftop apartment and worked your endless part times jobs. As a twenty-seven-year-old now with a bachelors and lawyers license you were so close to your dream you could taste it. When you weren’t working, you were applying to all law firms and doing interviews. But here six months later you still were applying for jobs after graduation not landing a job yet.

You were walking home at two in the morning having the closing shift at the bar for the night. Your black v neck t-shirt and skinny jeans were covered in dust. Your hair was pulled back up in a pony tail and face with full makeup. Your one friend, also coworker, offered to take you home, but you lived to far you didn’t want to bother her. Your coworker, who you’ve been working with since you first started there, was like an older sister to you. She taught you how to do your makeup to get more tips and made working there overall easier. She showed you how to fill in your brows, contour your cheeks, wing your liner and then line your plush lips with a ruby red and setting it with matte lipstick. Normally you preferred to go more natural with your makeup any other time, but you were glad she taught you the basics to even do that now. Your mother never knew how to apply makeup or even wore it. You’ve grown out your crazy bowl cut when your grandma had her scissors taken from her after the last lopsided bowl cut. For convenience sake, you just let your hair do its own thing and only got it trimmed by your neighbor, who was a hairstylist, once every six months. Since you helped her out every now and then she did it for you for at a discounted price. It was pretty long now tickling your waist, but it spent the majority of time wrapped up in a bun, braided, or in a ponytail so it wouldn’t get in the way of productivity. To say the least, you weren’t the same tomboy who had shoes with holes but a pretty, young woman. Okay, you still had shoes with holes; you didn’t have the budget to buy new shoes. Also “pretty, young woman” was your brother’s words not yours, it made you gag with his softness towards you still.

It was very late, and you were walking towards the bus stop, ready to go home and shower off the grime and sleep it all off. You made your way down a main street where all the night bars were and some popular clubs, your bus stop was at the other end of the street. There were food stands that had all the drunk people from the surrounding establishments flocking around them. They were loud, but the majority kept to themselves. As you pulled your phone out of your purse to check if anyone messaged you during your shift, you heard a yelp then growl. You looked up and saw a short, stoutly drunken man shoving around a young dog hybrid. The hybrid was no older than fifteen. Your protective nature kicked in, but more importantly your lawyer half awoke. You switched your purse behind you tightening the strap and walked over confidently. Although the hybrid was obviously taller than him he still raised his hand to land another hit, but you grabbed the man’s wrist midair. You looked over to the hybrid who had his head hung low, but you could make out the bruises all over him. The thin shirt and skinny jeans with no shoes was enough to give away his poor domestic condition. This brought a boiling anger within you. The man struggled against your hold, stumbling around slightly. He turned to you and spat, “Let go of me you bitch! Can’t you see I’m teaching him a lesson. This little shit deserves to know his place! I am his owner!” He yelled the last part getting in your face directly catching wind of his strong alcoholic breath. You pulled your head to the side to avoid any more unwanted breathing on you. You sighed and said, “Sir, you can’t hit this hybrid. It’s against the law under the Freeman’s act paragraph 7 section A. It is illegal to abuse hybrids mentally or physically that leads to emotional or physical damage, especially a child.” Obviously, he didn’t care you knew your laws. He went to raise his hand again out of your lock, but you’ve had enough. You twisted his arm locking it behind him and using the momentum of his stumbling you kicked behind his knees. He lost his balance and fell into a kneeling position. You learned this from your brother on how to retrain someone in a way that put you in the dominant position. “Sir, if you do not stop and calm down I’m going to have to call the police.” The man was very drunk, but he was more than upset already and wasn’t taking being restrained by a woman. He began shouting degrading slurs at you and the hybrid, but you weren’t listening. You moved both his arms into one of yours and reached for your phone and called the police. Waiting for officers and an ambulance you called over to the hybrid to calm him down. He was shaking violently from more than one reason. “Hey sweetie, look at me. My name’s Y/N, what’s yours?” He looked at his owner and then back at you to shakily answer back. “Good, good. It’s nice to meet you sweetheart. I can assure you that nothing will happen to you from now on. Can you tell me is this the first time he’s hit you?” He hung his head and then shook it as no. It was obvious, but you needed verbal confirmation. Your grip tightened on the pathetic male you’ve now maneuvered to lying flat on his stomach and arms still locked. He wouldn’t stop squirming. “Look, I know a friend of mine his name is Jin, who’s also a hybrid. He owns a shelter and finds loving home for hybrids and with a 100% guarantee no abuse and no returning to the shelter.” The boy seemed to light up at your words as if what you said was only a legend.

You met Jin in college. He and you volunteered at a hybrid shelter that helped hybrids find homes. You volunteered to see how the system worked hands on. Jin didn’t like the way it was run saying he didn’t understand the aggression of some of the employees. He’s a male grizzly bear hybrid, but he acts like a mother bear over his cubs the way he talks about his shelter. He only opened it up in the past few years, but it’s become one of the best and well-known shelters there are. He prides himself screening and meeting the hybrids to be families first and not just adopting them out at will. Family was everything to Jin.

The police and ambulance showed up and you let the man go from under you switching him over to a tall, bunny hybrid officer. Honestly a bit surprised that a bunny was a police officer, but you had other priorities. You went up to young hybrid immediately, “Sweetie, I promise these people will take care of you! They are going to take you to my friend.” The three officers came up to you and the hybrid who was now latched onto you, “miss, were you the one who called?” You cooed at the young hybrid and stroked his hair to calm him down, “Yes, I’m Y/N Y/L/N. I called in the abuse” You’ve dealt with so many hybrids that you know exactly how to calm them down, you even earned the nickname whisper at the volunteer shelter. You looked at the officers and showed them your lawyer’s license. They acknowledged it and listen to you list the man’s offenses. The paramedics came after asking the hybrid to follow them into the ambulance. He looked at you with terrified eyes and gripped onto you tighter. He had no intention to let go. The paramedics said that you can come with them to the hospital. You were about to say he would be fine, but the look he gave you broke your heart. You nodded, “I’ll come with you to the hospital and make sure my friend meets you. Will that make you feel better?” He nodded as fast as he could, smiling ear to ear causing his slit lip to open up again. You let the paramedics take him on a gurney and followed protocol. While you waited to board the bunny officer came up to you, “wow, what you did just there was awesome Ms. Y/L/N! It’s always so impressive to see someone know their stuff and wield their sword with pride.” You laughed at his metaphor, a bit too dramatic for the situation. “I just did what’s right officer…I’m sorry your name is?” He pointed to his badge, “Officer Jeon Jungkook” and then shook your hand. The paramedics called to you ready to depart, so you waved Officer Jeon goodbye, “Good night officer Jeon.” He wanted to stop you and offer you a ride home after all you’ve done for the kid, but you were already running down the street. He mumbles under his breath in imagination, “I’m glad I could get you home. I know this may be a bit forward but would you like go get coffee sometime.” He scuffs his boot on the floor but walks back to the struggling drunk in the vehicle. That night you were able to introduce they hybrid to Jin, but by the time you left the hospital it was already seven thirty am. You only had thirty minutes to get to work; lucky you were in experienced in pulling all-nighters before, but you were going to need all the coffee you could get.

The next few weeks were spent going to interviews and working shifts endlessly. One office finally responded back to you, but it turned out to be a scam. You had to run out of the business when some gangster started chasing you after when you threatened to report their business. You ran as far as you could, not paying attention to where you were going. You hid behind a dumpster in an alleyway and you watched them run past the entrance. You finally took a breath sighing. This was the 10th interview this month and no one has called you back yet. This was so disheartening that no was calling you back. At this point you felt your license was as good as toilet paper. You knew it was hard getting into the hybrid legal industry, much less even to practice as a lawyer. You weren’t going to let this throw your schedule off today, you had to make it to your night shift in an hour. You waited a few more minutes to create enough distance with the men. You were in the heart of downtown, tall buildings and angry business men pushed you out of the way down the street.

You looked around taking in your surroundings, identifying the area you were in. You walked to the nearest bus station and looked at the route map, but you couldn’t focus on the map. Your eyes looked pass the map to the building across the streets directory. It read on the fifth floor of the twenty-floor building there was a law practice, “Hybrid Welfare Legal Law Group, LLC” Your manila folder still had one resume left in it and you had enough time to run over and drop it off before the next bus came by. You were taking the chance. You ran across the street entering the glass door to the main lobby full of elevators. You entered the elevator and fixed up your appearance in the mirror. You breathed in deeply when the doors opened and you were greeted by a receptionist sitting at a rounded desk. The room was quiet and minimal in decoration. There was a leather couch and some office plants. The older woman looked up over her glasses perched at the end of her nose and sweetly called to you, “can I help you dear?” You were relieved someone was being nice to you today. You nodded and put on your professional voice, “Yes, I’m looking to submit my resume for the job application at this legal firm.” Before the receptionist could respond a woman’s, heels clicked down the hall and interrupted. “Hello Miss.” The receptionist turned to her and said that you wanted to turn in a resume. She lifted her brow in question and then back to you, “Oh, perfect! We’ve been looking for more legal help! Hello I’m Mrs. Lee. I’m the secretary for Mr.Kim.” She was a beautiful woman who had black hair, but strands of grey threaded through every now and then. You would’ve never guessed she was over the age of 35. You shook her hand and introduced yourself. She asked for your resume pulling it out of the folder to look it over once and then back in. She told you she would call you in a few days to schedule an interview. You thanked her about a thousand times and bid both women goodbye. You passed a mother and child bunny hybrids walking into the office and heard the secretary greet them. You stepped inside the elevator and leaned on the wall. You were hoping this wasn’t another failed endeavor.

Mrs. Lee walked back down the hall after directing the family to their legal help. She passed the open desk’s office space to an office at the end the second hallway. She knocked a few times and only got a grunt as a response. She’s worked for him long enough to know it was “come in.” He didn’t even bother looking up from the case file he was going over. He was a workaholic and stayed up endlessly working on all the cases. She spoke up, “sir, I have another resume. Please review it and let me know if you want me to schedule an appointment.” He grunted again and took the file from her without even looking and placed it on the bottom of his large stack of paper work to finish. This was the thirtieth applicant this month, and he’s rejected every single one of them.

It was three am by the time he was able to transfer all the “to-do” paperwork into the “done” section. He felt like Mrs. Lee only just said good night ten minutes ago, not six hours ago. He set his glasses down on his desk and ran his hands over his face and then up to his hair running them pass his ears. His tail flicked behind him still from the seven coffee cups littering his desk. He was exhausted, but he only had one last document left. He put his glasses back on and opened the manila folder. There was a resume with a picture attached the corner. He looked it over and squinted at the information. You went to a great school, graduated with honors and were a model student. He kept looking at the picture, he felt a weird familiarity with the person looking back at him. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but it was almost a visceral reaction that this person was familiar. Maybe one of the girls he slept with in college? He sat the file down back on the desk and pulled out a stick note pad and clicked one of his fountain pens and wrote a note down for his secretary. He packed up his bag and slipped his grey blazer back on. He clicked off the table lamp off and closed the door to his office.

You were sleeping on your stomach in star fish position, you came home and plopped down on top of your bed and fell asleep just like that. The phone ringtone kept going and you reached for your phone and answered groggily, “Hello?” The woman on the other end giggled, “Hello Y/N. It’s Mrs. Lee from Hybrid Welfare Legal Law Group, LLC. I’m calling you to let you know that you were approved for an interview. Would you be able to schedule with me?” You shot up immediately and the tiredness left your body. “Yes, Mrs. Lee. Is there a time that would work best for you this week?” She looked at her schedule book and said, “Thursday at 2pm there is an opening for half an hour. Would you be able to make it then?” Without thinking you said “Yes! Thank you, Mrs. Lee!” She laughed at your enthusiasm especially at 7am. You finished the details and hung up. You only handed in your resume yesterday you weren’t expecting a call back so soon.

You jumped up out of bed and rushed in to your brother’s bedroom and dog piled on top of him. He grunted from the impact of your weight. You hugged him tightly and said, “Hey, hey I got another call back! They want an interview!” He was mumbling into the pillow. You were so excited, even though you’ve been through many before you wanted to stay humble. Each call back was another chance! Your brother tossed you off him onto the other side of the bed. He smiled at you and ruffled your hair but buried himself back under the blanket. You went back to your room and circled your calendar. You had three days to prepare for your next interview. You got dressed and made breakfast and left a note for your brother to eat the leftovers. You locked the door and made your usual way to the diner, but with a smile on your face.

Thursday at 1:45pm you were in the lobby of the building of Hybrid Welfare Legal Law Group, LLC staring at the elevators. You wore your only pair of black slacks and black blazer that were now a dark grey. The white button up you wore was actually a part of your high school uniform with its logo still embroidered on the left chest pocket. The brown flats you wore were the only thing closest to professional you had in your closet. You pulled your hair up into a pony tail habitually now whenever you were going to work or things were serious. You got the guts to step into the elevator at 1:50pm, you checked yourself in the mirror one last time and made your way towards the receptionist. You took a deep breath and then introduced yourself to the sweet woman at the counter again. She looked up from her screen and adjusted her glasses, “Oh, Ms. Y/L/N. I’m glad you made it. Please take a seat, I’ll call you when we’re ready.” You thanked her and moved to the leather couch. It was still stiff and had that that new smell. You twiddled with the latch of your purse and the peeling edge of the faux leather. This office was quiet intimidating. It carried a very posh vibe that showed you that the people here were serious about what you did. This is the best place you’ve applied to so far. You didn’t get a chance to do any research of the lawyers here and that worried you because they usually always asked about the lawyers in the office of your opinion of them. Before you could sweat any more Mrs. Lee came in the room. “Ms. Y/L/N Mr. Kim is able to see you now.” You stood up and followed her down the hall into a large open room. There were four sections conglomerated into four desks at each division. There were people working and running around. You looked at them in awe, you wanted to be doing that. Down another hallway there were four isolated offices, one of which belonging to Mr.Kim.

Mrs. Lee knocked on the door with you in tow. She got a grunt in response and apparently, she understood exactly what his non-lingual sounds mean, she opened the door. The nerves finally kicked in when the door opened and you walked in behind her. You were greeted by a man sitting in his chair, he held a case file in front of his face studying it with his face propped in his hand. You could only make out red-orange, fluffy ears above the file. Your heart was beating out of your chest when she closed the door behind you leaving you alone.

You bowed to him in greeting and he said, “take a seat.” You steadily made your way over to the leather seat across from his oak desk. He reclined in his seat and let the case file down on his desk, he pushed up his glasses and finally looked up to you. Your heart stopped, you couldn’t breathe, you didn’t want to blink in case you missed it. It’s been so long but you recognized him immediately, you whispered shakily “Taehyung.” Tears were brimming in your eyes, but it stopped when he cut you off. “Mr.Kim please Mrs. ….”he looked at your resume once more, “Y/L/N.” Your heart sunk to your stomach, he didn’t even recognize you. You were frozen on the spot, but clicked back into your professional mode. Even if he didn’t recognize you, you were going to do your best to impress him in this interview. You had a dream to reach after all. He was silent and reviewed your resume. He asked you questions and you responded the best to your ability.

It was so odd that his voice was so deep now. He was so handsome too like a model out of a catalog, but you kept a stoic face, you weren’t going to comprise anything. He asked you an curve ball question, “Why do you want to be a hybrid lawyer?” He took a sip of his coffee and waited for your response. You sat for a second but gave the honest response, “All I’ve ever wanted in life was to make the world a better place as cliché as it is. I don’t mean in a monumental way, but in a way that can prevent peoples life from suffering and knowing useless pain that doesn’t help them grow. I want to reach out confidently holding the hand of a stranger and give them a promise I won’t break. I want to go home at the end of the day saying I worked hard and know someone else will sleep better at night because of my efforts.” He laughs a bit and said, “that sounds selfish.” Your shocked by his comment, but not disagreeing with his point. “Yes, in a way it is. I knew someone very close to me who lost everything, even his father to pound officers. If I can stop families from being torn apart then I will keep going,” you side eyed him seeing if he would catch on but he doesn’t. “Ah there it is, so it is personal, not a moral duty to the world.” You counter, “no, I want to satisfy both. Volunteering is a selfish act anyways. You do it to make yourself feel better that you’re making a big difference. It’s a rewarding feeling that makes you feel better. Humans are selfish being, rather, any living being are driven by greed to some extent. It’s just how you use that greed to motivate you defines you.” Fully taking in your words he agrees finishing his coffee, “I’ll get back to you and have Mrs. Lee call you with feedback. It was nice meeting you Mrs. Y/L/N.” He said as he stood from his seat holding out his hand. You took it in yours and it felt soft compared to your calloused hand. Embarrassed you pulled your hand back and bowed thanking him for his time. You stepped out of the room and walked back to the elevator. The doors couldn’t close fast enough before your knees gave out. You didn’t cry, you didn’t have it in you, but you stared in front of you with glazed over eyes. Taehyung was alive and well. He was alive, the fox was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 01/11/2018: [The Firefly that Guards the Fox 2](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/169574855208/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-2)


	3. Chapter 3

Before the elevator doors could open to the ground floor you stood up, but the haze in your eyes didn’t clear. You walked out of the elevator and out the glass entrance door weaving yourself into the sea of passing people. The crowd took no mercy on you, the masses were on autopilot. Standing in the midst of the crowd shoulders knocked against yours repeatedly; your purse was pulled to the ground on accident when a business man on the phone carelessly ran into you. Still, you remained indifferent to everything. He kept going not bothering to apologize. Everyone kept moving, except you. You were frozen.

He was alive! However, meeting him again and finding out that he’s a well-known lawyer, your potential boss, was not the way you pictured the reunion. How could he be in such plain sight? It clicked so you rushed to pick up your purse and pulled out your cell phone. It was one of the first generations of smart phones, but it still worked and it didn’t have any scratches on it. You open a web browser and searched “Kim Taehyung Hybrid Welfare Legal Law Group, LLC,” and instantly over 10,000 results came up. The first article was of him walking from a courthouse with the title “Kim puts the notorious serial, hybrid killer behind bars”, another was “Lawyer Kim Taehyung gives statement on bringing the CEO of CJT Corps, who abused his hybrids, to light.” You were stunned, he’s been in plain sight this whole time. It was the twenty first century, why didn’t you use the internet? You already knew the answer to that though, you were just too busy and didn’t have any social media.

You kept scrolling and opened the company’s website moving past the other lawyer’s bios until you found his. This is why you should’ve done your research. You stopped when a photo of him working came into frame. They must’ve taken his picture without him knowing from the candid shot. He was looking down at some paperwork with his head propped at a 45-degree angle resting in his hand at his desk. It was weird seeing him grown up and so–manly looking, his deep voice rang in your head picturing him in the exact same way minutes ago. You shook yourself out of staring at the photo and read his short bio, “Kim Taehyung has been a brilliant lawyer for Hybrid Welfare Legal Law Group, LLC, since 2014. Kim graduated early from the national University at the age of twenty, opting to take honor and advance placement classes. He graduated with a degree in Linguistics and a minor in Philosophy. Kim entered the University’s Law program the following semester after graduation and left three years later ranking in the top 10% percentile of the Bar Exam takers. He’s worked for Free Will Legal Office, LLC, and Liberation Legal Advocacy Corporation, LLC, throughout Law school and interned afterwards. He started working for us at the age of twenty-four and worked his way up to being one of the four main lawyers of our office. A quote from Kim, ‘I will work hard until I can put an end to hybrid abuse and put those who abuse hybrids behind bars.’ We believe Kim Taehyung is the future in hybrid rights.”

Your jaw fell agape, you couldn’t believe this was the same Tae. The Tae you knew was a clumsy, happy-go lucky, carefree kit. Time has really changed things. You crossed your purse over your chest and put your phone back in its slot. You tucked your blazer closer to you when a breeze blew by and walked towards the nearest bus stop. You felt so ashamed of yourself, you wanted to see him again, but he didn’t even remember you. Were you that forgetful? Did your friendship mean nothing to him? You kept walking to the bus station and sat on the cracked, plastic bench and almost missed your bus when you were lost in thought. You ran after the bus, almost slipping on mud, smacking the side of the bus until it captured the driver’s attention and he stopped for you. Even on the ride on the bus you couldn’t stop thinking about him. The rest of the day was spent in this weird smog as if you were walking through a valley of smoke.

You walked up the steep hill to your apartment late at night after your closing shift. You deviated from your path and stopped at the living room converted into a convenient store tucked in one of the houses along the road and perused the short isles. You picked up a few beers from the fridge and chips on a stand. The auntie who sat on a loveseat watching old soap operas just asked for the money with an outheld hand without even paying you any mind. You’ve been here enough to know eachother by first name, “Thanks Lola.” She waved you off with her enclosed hand, you were interrupting the dialogue of her show. You walked up to your rooftop apartment and sat down on the low platform outside your apartment. You sat the crinkling plastic bag next to you along with your purse and just sighed. You dug inside and pulled out any one of the two beers. You pulled back the aluminum tab that released a satisfying hiss. You hoped that this little thing would release some of your pressure too. No, you weren’t a drinker only having drank a total of two times before; both times with your brother when you graduated college, then law school. You just wanted to indulge in this one time.

You took the can and cheered it to the sky before taking a hefty gulp of the stout and breathed a sigh of relief afterwards. You really didn’t understand why people like the taste of alcohol or the flavor of beer at this point, it tasted awful. However, you spent five dollars on all this you weren’t going to let it go to waste. You kept sipping with furrowed brows trying to catch a buzz to sleep better tonight. You laid back on your elbows supporting you looking up at the starry sky. Its been so long since you’ve looked up and taken in the world around you. The stars were so beautiful they twinkled and glimmered as if they were communicating with one another. You picked up your beer and took small sips. This reminded you of the old days when the four of you were laying on the same type of platform doing the same thing. You were starting to feel tipsy, maybe because you never drank or maybe the alcohol hit your system fast because you haven’t eaten in a while. Maybe. You took a deep inhale and then yelled out, “Yah! Taehyung! You’re alive! You’re– really alive and doing well! I’m so… proud of you! Wow, I saw you today and you didn’t—you didn’t even recognize me! Did I really change that much? Huh?” You had to catch your breath you were so worked up and somewhere along the line you started crying. “How could you—how could you do that to me?” You don’t know when but as some point exhaustion took over from crying so hard and yelling. You fell deep asleep on the platform.

A half hour later your brother walked up the side stairs, his black combat boots clinking against the metal staircase leading to the apartment. He hummed and blew a puff of smoke in the air from his hot breath hitting the icy air. He rubbed his gloved hands together and shoved them in his pocket for any warmth and dug for his keys. The yellow-green flood light dulled against the cement floor, but it caught his attention when it reflected against the plastic bag on the platform. He stepped closer to see exactly what was there only to find you sprawled out sleeping. Tired from his long day as well, he came up to you and smacked your cheek, “hey, hey wake up.” You just groaned and turned to your side landing on top of the plastic bag and knocking over your half full beer. “Hey!” Your brother went to grab the sticky drink before it leaked any further onto the wood and shook his hand in frustration when it coated his hands. He really took in your appearance redden nose, dirty clothes and sneakers haphazardly thrown. You had your “suit uniform” spilling out of your purse as if it was shoved in angrily. He hated seeing you work endlessly and keep going to job interviews tirelessly. He wanted to make your life easier, but he didn’t have a direct way fix that. He sat you up and slung you over his back and then hung your purse over his neck. The plastic bag was in his hand while the other held the house keys, “Yah, you feel too light. You’ve lost too much weight. Why aren’t you eating stupid?” He knew you couldn’t hear any of his complaints, but he still complained none the less. He flopped you onto your twin size bed and pulled the comforter over you. He sat next to you and flattened your wild hair down, it was the least he could do for you after all the things you do for him. Somewhere down the line the roles have changed, and you started taking care of him. He kissed your forehead and turned off the lights closing your bedroom door.

The next morning at seven thirty you woke up to your phone alarm blaring that repetitive noise and a fat headache. You were in pain, but you still had to turn off your insistent alarm. You looked at yourself and wondered how you got inside, it must’ve been your great instincts. You blindly made your way to the bathroom and took a shower. The hot water was so comforting easing the headache to a dull pain. You made it back to your bedroom to change into your day uniform, but were stopped by a surprising figure in the kitchen.

With eyebrows raise you looked at your brother who was diligently mixing something over the counter. He had something on his cheek when he turned around, “Morning sunshine, you look great!” You furrowed your brows and grumbled to him, “shut up.” He laughed, “be out soon to eat before you leave. You don’t have much time before you have to go.” Not about to argue with his comeback you went to change and ready your purse. You packed your only other set of skinny jeans and the same black t-shirt into your bag replacing your suit uniform. You made your way out of the room with light makeup on since it was more appropriate for your day job. You took a peek over your brother’s shoulder on your tippy toes and made a face pulling the sides of your lips down impressed with his makeshift breakfast sandwich. He smacked your creeping hand trying to grab extra pieces of packaged ham and said take some aspirins. “Yes, mom. Love you, mom!” He laughed at your annoyance and you followed through really needing it to carry on today. He let you slip your shoes on before handing you paper bag with a ham sandwich and a breakfast sandwich to carry tucked into a napkin. You were so touched your brother never did stuff like this. You looked at him suspiciously, “did you do something wrong?” He played up an expression of upset with a hand over his chest, “can’t a brother do something nice for a change?” You smiled not willing to have your sandwich revoked and hugged him tight, “thank you for everything.” You snatched the sandwich and placed it in your mouth as you ran out the door waving him goodbye.

You made your way into the diner and grabbed your apron from of your locker. You greeted the older auntie who ran the shop and your coworkers, it was back to the basics. You were working non-stop until you had a fifteen-minute break around noon. You went to your locker in the breakroom and pulled out your phone. There was a missed call from Mrs. Lee. You were panicking internally. What if it was something important? Why was she calling back so soon? For sure only early call backs were rejections, how could he decide overnight? With a shaky finger you hovered over the call button but pressed it and brought it up to your ear. You sat in a chair shaking your leg impatiently while chewing on your thumb in anticipation. There was no voicemail, so it was up in the air to what she needed. She picked up after the seventh ring, “Hello Mrs. Lee this is Y/N Y/L/N. I’m sorry I missed your call I wasn’t able to answer the call while on shift.” She waved it off bidding everything fine, “I understand. I wanted to call you with the results of the interview.” Your heart was racing and begging her to put you down gently. “Mr. Kim has decided that he wants to hire you. We would love it if you could start as soon as possible.”

You were frozen. You were hired! You were hired? “I’m sorry Mrs. Lee, can you please repeat that please?” She laughed at your confused state, “You’re hired Ms. Y/L/N. When can you start?” It took a few seconds, but you were smiling like and idiot and bowing in thanks even though she couldn’t see. “Are you sure Mr. Kim relayed the message right Mrs. Lee? I don’t mean to guess your work, I just can’t believe it,” you spoke at her rapidly and in disbelief. “I’m positive Ms. Y/L/N.” You promised that you would be able to start in the next few days since you had to let your current jobs know you would be resigning. She congratulated you and hung up. You were so excited with the news you stood up and danced, you absolutely couldn’t hold in your excitement. You stopped mid jig and the news really set in. You were going to be working with Taehyung. Would you tell him who you were? So many thoughts were running through your mind, but first things first you had to quite these part time jobs!

You spoke to all your employers who were happy for you, but they asked for a few days more until they could find a replacement. Your bosses from both places were more like long time friends now and they wished you luck and to keep the door open to use you for legal help. As soon as all things were set you called Mrs. Lee to let her know you could make it exactly in three days. She was glad to hear that you worked it all out and would see you very soon at eight a.m. sharp. You were so excited that that night you went home and told your brother you finally got the job! You even made a video call with your brother to your parents telling them the news. They couldn’t be happier for you, and it felt like things were finally working out. You spent that night sitting in bed scrolling again through the company’s website on Taehyung’s bio page. You reread the information over and over again. This was too important to pass up and if Taehyung didn’t recognize you, that was fine. You were going to start fresh again now anyways, so if he didn’t remember you it wouldn’t be the end of the world. You wondered if he still spoke to Hoseok. You wondered a million and one things, but it still didn’t change how hurt your heart felt. You plugged your phone in to your charger and set it on your bed side table. You stared out your window and thanked the stars for watching over you.

You adjusted the same blazer, button up and slacks you wore on your interview. The same flats were adorning your feet, ready for work. You pulled your hair up in a pony tail in the elevator. The smooth, long locks flicked side to side as you looped it in the hair tie. The elevator doors opened to the receptionist lobby. The receptionist, who now asked you to refer to her as Mrs. Smith, congratulated you on your employment. She looked left and right subtly then curled her index finger to beckon you in whispering distance. “Mr. Kim can be a bit…rude. He’s not the kindest, but he works very hard. You’re the only interviewee that made it out of the 150 that applied just this month. I don’t even…” Mrs. Lee came into the receptionist office and cleared her throat. You jumped back and bowed to greet her. She smiled politely at you and raised a brow to Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith began humming and went back to work like nothing happened. Mrs. Lee signaled for you to follow her down the hall. You trailed behind her into the open work space.

“This last row of desks in this open space in the far back is where we will be working. The other three rows are meant for the other lawyers.” She pointed along with her words as she lead you down the rows of already busy workers, some gave you a glance while other worked diligently. You were shown to the first desk at the beginning of the row where it was empty, “this is your spot. You can decorate it as much as you like.” You thanked her setting down your purse and she lead you to the other employees under Mr. Kim. The first employee she introduced you to a man who went by casually by the name Key, but his actual name was Kim Kibum. He was a paralegal and was Taehyung’s right-hand man. He looked you up and down, but welcomed you politely. Key carried this sassy carefree air about him that seemed to lack for a lawyer. The next employee was female employee younger than you who was there as a legal assistant. She was still in law school and working her way to becoming a lawyer. She was cold towards you and didn’t care to respond, but Mrs. Lee let you know her name was Jung Krystal. She was pretty, but her attitude made you want to take that statement back. That was the whole team. You could see why they needed you on the team. There weren’t enough members on the team, you wondered how they’ve won so many cases so far with so little people.

Mrs. Lee lead you to Mr. Kim’s office knocking getting the typical non-lingual response. She motioned for you to enter and followed behind closing the door. Your heart was racing seeing him again, in fact it’s been racing as you entered the ground level lobby. He was in a navy-blue suit that really brought out his orange fur on his ears. You tried to calm yourself knowing hybrids can sense your heart rate and anxiety levels. He was in the same position as the other day, but instead he had a cup of coffee in his hands taking sips of his black coffee delicately. You gulped and after Mrs. Lee called to you, you turned to him and reintroduced yourself with your self still bent in a bow thanked him for hiring you. You slowly raised yourself to standing position, but didn’t bring your eyes up immediately. You raised your eyes slowly and as if the world slowed his eyes locked on yours holding them in amusement. He held his gaze on yours silently with a raised brow. He was sizing you up, so you continued, “I will work hard under your team as a lawyer.” He laughed a little, “No, you won’t be working under me as a lawyer. At least not yet.” You looked at him wide eyes, but he continued, “You will be working alongside Ms. Jung, until you prove you can hold your own.” He took another sip of coffee looking for you to challenge him. You were going to have to start from the bottom, the literal bottom of the food chain. You were ready for the challenge though, you lived for the challenge. You smiled politely at him, “I’m willing to show you that I’m a worthy member of this team Mr. Kim.” He was curt and just hummed waving you both off to leave. You understood Mrs. Smith now.

Mrs. Lee escorted you back to your desk and Krystal and Key came over to your desk to drop four boxes full of paperwork that needed sorting and to be categorized by case. You sighed internally at the amount of work, but rolled up your sleeves went to work. Mrs. Lee patted your shoulder and wished you luck. Before you knew it the hands on the clocked turned and it was noon, you were barely a quarter of the way through with one box. Mrs. Lee tapped your shoulder interrupting your concentration, “Mr. Kim is calling for you in his office.” You got up dusting yourself off and made your way over to his office. You knocked lightly and wiped your dusty hands on your slacks and got the approval grunt. You stepped in and was only greeted by an outstretched sticky note in which you took in both hands. “What is this Mr. Kim?” You couldn’t make out the coding of what FR, OC and BrB meant. He looked up at you with a glare as if you’ve just insulted his mother. “My lunch, now go pick it up for me,” he looked at his watch, “and I want it by 1 p.m. Now hurry.” You looked at the clock on the wall and it read 12:15 p.m. How were you supposed to make it back to the office in 45 minutes?

You were going to prove him wrong for underestimating you, “Of course, Mr. Kim.” You stepped out of his office and power walked back to the open space, but was stopped by more sticky notes by your team; even the intern who should be doing all this. You were a little upset by the intern’s rudeness, but you weren’t going to let this shake you. You took them and asked them to decode Mr. Kim’s note first. “Its fried rice, orange chicken and broccoli beef from Panda Express.” Not caring to waste any more time you ran out of the office like lightening. You had to pick up coffees from Starbucks, sandwiches from Subway on top of Mr. Kim’s order. You were walking so fast with three bags swinging on your arms and four coffees in a carboard cup holder. You were adjusting a bag on your arm trying to reach the sticky notes your blazer pocket one last time when someone ran directly into you. The coffees in your hand down poured onto you soaking your white button up. A mix of hot and cold pungent liquid all over your white button up. You liked coffee, but not to this extent. You weren’t concerned about your shirt though, you were about the coffee. You checked the time and ran back to the coffee shop a few stores back. The man who was trying to apologize to you was left standing there in confusion.

You made it back to the office panting at 12:59 p.m. and set everything down on the round conference table of your section. The members at their desk all looked at you concerned with the blatant brown stain on your shirt, but you were in a rush. You only had a minute left! You grabbed his tray, fork and napkins along with his venti coffee. You knocked on his door with your elbow and got the grunt. You made your way into his office and set the food down on the cleared portion of his desk. You stepped back waiting for his response. He set his pen down and took his Ray-Ban Clubmaster glasses off. He looked at you judgingly and then took in the brown stain poured down your front. He chooses to not comment but went to grab the tray. He popped open the container and hummed, not in approval or disapproval just a throaty noise. You were sweating for more reason than one. He finally said something, “you’re late by two minutes Ms. Y/L/N. How do you expect me to depend on you with that kind of timing?” You were shocked you made it late but bit your tongue, “I’m sorry Sir, it won’t happen ever again.” He raised a brow, “better not Y/L/N.” You were surprised that he addressed you by your first name. It felt weird hearing it again. He grabbed at the plastic fork but tossed it in his small trash bin, “I don’t eat my Chinese food with a fork, go get me chopsticks.” You were panicking you didn’t grab any, so you tried to think of anything besides having to go all the way back. You remembered you had your own chopsticks for your lunch. You asked him for a second and ran to your desk and rummaged your purse until you found your chopsticks at the bottom of your lunch bag. The metal chopsticks would work perfectly. You knocked again and handed him the utensil with both hands. He took them from you and commented, “I prefer wooden ones, but I’ll settle.” You were holding your comeback in, you were glad you weren’t a dragon hybrid at this moment. You asked him if that was all he needed, and he waved you off again. You made it back to your desk where everyone was now eating and working at their own. Mrs. Lee and Kibum thanked you, but Krystal just ate quietly. She’s yet to say a word to you.

You got back to work and ate your food with an extra plastic fork left in one of the bags. Again, time has passed by quickly and before you knew it the rest of your team was leaving for the night and biding you good night. Mrs. Lee told you to, “go home soon, there’s always tomorrow.” You smiled and said you would, but in by the looks of your desk you knew it was going to be a long night. Your desk lamp was the last one on in the office and you were working on the last four case files from the third box. You sat up cracking your back then heard a voice next to you, “I’m not paying you for overtime.” Jolting at the sound you banged your knee on the desk but stood up with a click of your knees and replied, “Mr. Kim! I know, but I want to finish before I leave.” He looked over your shoulder to see the stack of different sorted casefiles. He looked back at you stoically with his tail swishing casually and just walked off. You called after him, “Good night Mr. Kim” and you whispered, “Good night Tae Tae” when he was around the corner while rubbing your knee.

Taehyung came home to an empty apartment. His roommates Hoseok, Jimin and Jungkook were still out. Jimin and Hoseok was out practicing choreography for an upcoming tour for a famous artist. Jungkook was probably working a late shift at the station. They’ve all made it into fields they’ve dreamt of. Taehyung pulled out a bottle of wine from the wine rack and popped open the cork. He used his better sense of smell and took in the fruity flavor of the vintage wine. He poured himself a glass and pulled out some ingredients from the fridge and went to prepare himself dinner. A few minutes later he heard the keycode being punched in and the scuffing of boots at the entrance. The heavy timberlands hit the floor with a thud near the shoe rack and a Bunny still in his police uniform set his phone on the island counter along with his badges and plopped himself in a bar stool across the stove. He greeted Taehyung, “Hyung, I’m home! You won’t believe the day I had!”

At home Taehyung could let loose and be himself, he didn’t have to put up a hard exterior that he did at the office. “Tell me about it then, Kookie.” He went on to say about a few weeks ago a drunk uncle was abusing his young hybrid but a heroine stepped in and saved the hybrid. She was a lawyer too! She beat the man into submission and pinned him to the floor. She went with the hybrid to the hospital and he found out she knows Jin too! He took the hybrid into his shelter according to the report and getting a phone call from the bear himself. “Anyways, she was really pretty hyung, and I wanted to ask her on a coffee date, you can’t let a cool woman like that just walk by. But that’s not the point, the point is the drunk man is suing the station for taking away his hybrid when he was in an inebriated state.” Taehyung turned to him to him with raised brows and tail swishing in interest, “did you ask her out?” The bunny’s ears went down in sadness, “No, she got into the ambulance before I could even say anything.” Taehyung and Jungkook always told eachother stories going on in their work since they both often shared cases.

More noise came from the front door and in came the last two roommates. Hoseok came into the kitchen first doing some gliding moves but Jimin kneed him in the butt to move out the way. Jimin greeted the two and did the secret handshake that only they would know. Hoseok came next to Taehyung at the stove, “Tae Tae, what are you making? Is there enough for all of us?” He didn’t plan on making enough for everyone, but wordlessly he was throwing more portions onto the skillet. Hoseok thanked Taehyung and the three sat down on the island next to Jungkook who retold his story of his day. Hoseok listened intently then said, “Hey, Tae, doesn’t that girl remind you of the girl from the country side where we used to live? She would do the same for us when we were kids. Her and her brother would always stand up for us!” Taehyung smiled remembering the face of that girl, she had choppy hair and rags for shoes, but she was always happy. He couldn’t remember her name and her facial features were blurry to him now, but he knew the person. He answered honestly, “I do Hobi, it’s was so long ago. Her face is blurry to me now, but I remember that choppy bowl cut flying squirrel.” They all laughed at him calling you a squirrel. Jimin turned to Hoseok, “is she that girl in that photo at Tae mom’s house?” Hoseok lit up remembering the photo,” Yeah! That exact girl!” They carried on chatting and joking. They ended the night with some video games. Taehyung was about to get into bed when he pulled out his phone and in the gallery, he took a picture of that photo in his mom’s house. There was water damage on the photo, so all the faces were blurry. He zoomed in on your face and smiled fondly, “Hey Firefly, it’s been a while. I hope you’re doing well. I hope your still kicking butt and saving foxes like you used to.” He stared at the photo a bit more then set it to charge for the night, “Good night Firefly.”

The next morning you came to the office with the same outfit. You didn’t have enough money to buy any new clothing, your last paycheck to pay utilities and rent. The coffee stain came out of your button up after soaking it in a concoction of home remedy stain remover. You were the first of your team in the office. You finished all the filing last night at 2:30 a.m. A few moments later Mrs. Lee made her way over to your row, “good morning Y/N!” You greeted her back, but she rushed to drop her bag off at her desk to go back to the receptionist area. You sat down at your desk and waited for her to return. Mr. Kim came around the corner with his briefcase adjusting his glasses. You stood up to greet him, but he stopped in his tracks, “You’re still here?” You raised your brows in question, “you hired me correct?” He nodded and carried on to his office closing the door behind him. You saw Mrs. Lee escorting the same family you saw the day you submitted your resume. This time the young man had bruises and a black eye. You looked worriedly at Mrs. Lee, but she just mouthed “later” to you. She sat them at the conference table and told them to wait for her. She came over to you asking for you to get some files for her to present to them. You nodded following her instruction.

When you returned with the case files she asked for, you to sit with her and the family. She introduced you to the woman, Mrs. Miller, and her son David. You shook their hands introducing yourself. She spoke to them about the new revisions and terms that were set by the recent lawyer meeting. You listened intently picking up that she was going through a lawsuit where the other party is suing for assault and defamation. It was hard to believe with David looking as if danger was waiting around the corner for him. Mrs. Lee directed them towards Mr. Kim’s office to discuss things further and Mrs. Lee returned to you. “Mrs. Miller and her son are in a civil lawsuit. A few rich kids at the private school assaulted him, and their parents are trying to turn it around on them. Claiming that David inflected the injuries on himself and are trying to ruin their image. They don’t want to settle out of court. With all evidence we have so far, it points towards hybrid discrimination.” You nodded silently, longingly looking at the office down the hall. Mrs. Lee went to get up but you stopped her before she went on to give you work, “what did Mr. Kim mean when he said ‘you’re still here’?” She looked at you with raised brows sitting down beside you again, “We’ve hired people before you to join the team, but they never stayed after the first day. We’ve gone through 15 people leaving after the first day. They complain that they don’t want to do bottom work with a lawyer’s license, they want to practice already. He always lets them leave. He purposely is a bit overbearing in the beginning to really see if people are made out to work here.” You slowly nodded finally understanding his words. You smiled at her and said, “please give me more work to do!” She laughed at your eagerness, but then went to hand you more boxes. You honestly were more motivated to work harder, this was your dream even if it was starting at the bottom. Nothing good is every handed out, it’s earned.

You went back and forth around the office and brought all cases up to date on filing. The next few weeks you worked endlessly proving yourself. You stayed late often re-doing reports and checking and rechecking paperwork. Taehyung would stop by your desk nightly before he left seeing you were the last one, but never said anything. He just stared at you then walked off, but you always wished him a good night and that he worked hard today. When he stepped away you always called him Tae Tae. It was hard to control your beating heart around the handsome fox.

Taehyung was impressed by your hard work, but he would never tell you. He was impressed the first day when you offered up your chopsticks. He knew he was being difficult, but he needed you to be flexible and adaptable. The things he’s been putting you through were test, not just miniscule task. You still had a long way to go before he trusted you to work on a major case.

But the day came, a month in working at the office. He finally asked you to do something else besides paper work and running small errands. You knocked on his door and stepped into his office. He asked you to sit down in the chair in front of his desk. You were slightly worried thinking you were in trouble, but he interrupted your thoughts, “I want you to go out tomorrow morning with Mr. Kim to David Miller’s private school to get a testimonial from the school and any evidence. We need some papers signed by their principal.” You were relieved you weren’t in trouble and the anxiety turned into happiness. You tried to hide your smile but failed miserably when your lips twitched and settled into a smile. “Thank you, Mr. Kim, I’ll do my best.” He just looked at you dully, “this is work Mrs. Y/L/N not something to thank me for.” You bowed and asked him if he needed anything else before you returned to your desk. He breathed in deeply looking you once over then tilted his head to the side, “is that the only clothes you have? That “uniform” of yours should be put away for a new one, don’t you think? Wear something else for tomorrow’s visit.” He looked down to his paperwork again and waved you off. You were excited with the given task, finally he trusted you enough to do actual work. However, his comment on your clothes sucked a bit off happiness out of it. You knew very well that you shouldn’t wear the same clothes every day, but it was the only thing you had. You bowed and left with a smile still on your face. You ran into Mrs. Lee who was about to knock on the door, you excused yourself and walked down the hall. Mrs. Lee was still staring at you walking down the hall, she overheard and was surprised you didn’t look phased. You were a strong woman indeed.

There was something about you to him. The sense of familiarity only got worse over time. Something in his gut was pulling him to you, maybe it was your pretty face? Maybe it was your persistent personality? Every time he looked at you he just felt like something was missing, but he didn’t know what it was. A mysterious nostalgia. He smiled to himself when you left the room and laughed quietly at your cute behavior. It was hard holding back and keeping a stone face when you were here. He felt comfortable with you. Every night when he passed by your desk he always wants to speak to you, to chat casually, but he doesn’t want to cross professional boundaries. In the end he just walks away leaving you to work. When Mrs. Lee walked in he corrects himself immediately, coughing and clearing his throat to cover his laugh.

The next morning you came in to work, again being the first of your team. You still had your “uniform” on, but you had no choice. None of your friends, even your ex-coworker, had any professional clothing they could lend you. You sat at your desk turning on your computer to get to work until Key came into the office. Mrs. Lee came into the work space humming and swinging three, large, unfamiliar bags. You didn’t pay any mind to her after you greeted her normally. She came up behind you and tapped on your shoulder. You turned to her holding up three bags in front of you blocking your vision. “What is this Mrs. Lee?” She lowered the bags and said, “I was going through my closet yesterday cleaning it out any of the pieces I had that were still in good condition, but I never used. I was wondering if you would want them? It’d be a shame to throw out such good pieces.” You looked at the bags and then back at her, “Oh, I can’t take something so nice.” She stopped you, “No, I won’t be using them anymore! We seem to wear the same size so please, take them. It’s my gift to you.” You reluctantly took the bag and then pulled out some gorgeous blouses, slacks and pencil skirts. The last bag had two pairs of heels, one was classic black, thin heel pump and an ankle strap, nude heel. You turned to her amazed at the beautiful clothing, “this is so expensive. I—!” She stopped you again, “Hush, take it and don’t let them go to waste on an old woman like me.” You pulled out a white, bell sleeve blouse, a black, knee length, tight fitting pencil skirt, and the black heels. You went into the women’s restroom and changed into your new outfit. It fit perfectly, even the shoes! You were a bit unstable at first but got used to it quickly. You looked in the mirror at yourself, you looked like a real professional. I guess fair feathers make a fair bird. You pulled your hair out of the ponytail and it cascaded down into romantic, tousled waves. You didn’t get a chance to dry it after showering last night tying it up wet. You smiled at the new you, ready to take on your mission today! You folded your old clothes and walked back to the work room. You got some stares from the other lanes as you walked by, but you kept going avoiding their gaze. You made it to your desk and stuffed your old “uniform” into one of the bags. You pushed them under your desk until your shift would end. Mrs. Lee came up to you and simply said, “wow, you clean up really well Y/N. These clothes were meant for you! You look great!” You were blushing folding your hands in front of you not sure how to receive compliments. Krystal even raised her eyebrows at you and nodded, but quickly returned to her work.

“Mrs. Lee, do we have a guest?” You heard Taehyung ask Mrs. Lee from behind you. You turned around to look at Mr. Kim, who was wide eyed when he realized it was you standing there. “Oh, Y/N. It’s you.” He was thrown off by the woman standing in front of him, it was you, but different. The way the pencil skirt hugged your hips and your collar bones showed through your blouse was captivating. You were a fresh Spring day, the warmth of the sun that came along with the season and freshness. Your scent filled him to the brim. The biggest note of yours was lavender, it calmed him the more he inhaled. It was like a crisp breeze came through him as he took in your scent. It was heavenly and soul soothing. He had to shake himself out of his spell realizing he was staring, and just casually said good morning. He walked to his office leave all three of you just staring at his disappearing figure. You shared a look with Mrs. Lee raising your eyebrows at his strange morning greeting. You never got those.

Key made it to the office ready to leave to visit David’s school for a statement. You walked down to the parking garage of the establishment and got in his Mercedes. The twenty-minute journey to the middle school was anything but boring. You found out more things about Key, he’s quite chatty and funny. You shared things about yourselves even obscure things. You were having too much for this to be professional. You arrived at the front of the school stepping outside the parked car. Key and you made your way to the front office and sat down waiting in the reception. Key went over with you that he would do a majority of the consultation, she can be a stick in the mud. The woman stood up at the secretarial desk and instructed you to follow her into an office. The woman in the office looked like a true private school principal. The gaudy jewelry, the stuffy suit, and botched plastic surgery showed off her wealth. You both sat down in front of her desk after introductions and she immediately began to defend herself. “I’m sorry Mr. Kim, we will not provide any assistance in that regard. The offenses happened off campus and it was not under school hours. This is a private personal matter.”

She was obviously using any legal loophole she could find to take the responsibility off the school. Key informed you on the way here that this school had records before of hybrid students being assaulted or discriminated. You were genuinely upset that the system that was supposed to be protecting all kids equally failed them. You tried interjecting, “Ma’am, we still need –,” but she held up her hand stopping you. Key and you exchanged a look knowing there wasn’t going to be any way to get her signature. You shook her hand and left with Kibum. He stopped you once you left the building and with a cat-like grin asked, “You know we should go find David. You know… observe the environment to get a feel for it.” He knew that this was probably crossing the line, but he was always up for gathering evidence. “This way we can find out and study if there are any other discriminations going on.” You nodded agreeing with your fist held up to his in a fist bump. You walked down the halls trying to observe the private school for any abnormalities. You kept walking until you made it to the gym area near the back of the school when you heard it. You heard the huffs and grunts of someone, and a gaggle of laughs. You and Kibum crept around the corner of the building peering over the edge of the gymnasium. David was on the floor surrounded by five, tall built boys who were obviously older than him. Two of the kids were smoking cigarettes passing it between them. The one who just kicked flicked the still lit stick onto the young bunny. Anger boiled within you and you made a step towards them when Key stopped you and hushed you. He brought out his phone and began recording the situation. You needed evidence.

“Little Bunny, who’s going to save you now, huh?” They continued to kick him in his fetal position, but when they got tired of it they pulled on his ears. He let out a large yelp in protest. They continued their ministrations, but you’ve had enough! You didn’t even spare a look back at Key who was whisper yelling at you. Your heels clicked as you paced over to the group of men surrounding David. You yelled out, “Hey, leave the kid alone!” You stood a few feet away with a hand on your hip the other pointing at them when the group of five stopped what they were doing and turned towards you. They raised an eyebrow at you, “who are you lady?” David was clearly scared, but limped behind you when he recognized you. He tugged on your shirt, “Mrs. Y/L/N, please, save me!” You bent down to his level and petted his ears, “It’s okay David. Go to Mr. Kim over there, okay? He’ll protect you. Don’t come out until I say so, okay?” He nodded and ran over to Key who was still recording.

You were going to handle this as rationally as possible, but the boy standing in the center just lit up another cigarette taking a drag. You supposed all of them were around seventeen years old, maybe seniors here. The leader, you assumed, approached you taking a few steps out of his group, “Look lady, do you know who I am? My dad could-.” You laughed, “Look kid, I don’t care who your dad is. I’m going to call the authorities to handle this okay?” You went to turn around, but the kid grabbed your wrist roughly. “No, were not lady. This is going to be kept quiet.” You’ve had enough turning halfway around to look at his firm grip on your wrist. You asked him calmly to release your arm. He refused to release it, but you asked once more, “let my wrist go, please.” He laughed and looked at his friends who were egging him on. “Fine,” he suddenly yanked of your wrist causing you to stumble onto the ground. Your knees scrapped against the hot, black asphalt and one heel fell off. You stabilized yourself on your aching wrist from breaking your fall. You noticed your one heel still on had broken! You just got them! His friends were laughing hysterically and so was he, he dropped his fag in front of you and stepped on it twisted his foot tauntingly. The laughing stopped when you flipped the switch on them. You stood up and tied your hair into a pony tail kicking your broken shoe off. It was game on.

You caught the leader’s hand, who was attempting to grab you in an outstretch reach, into your right hand and with your left on the boy’s collar of his button up shirt. Using the momentum of his weight charging towards you, you flipped him to the ground. These boys towered over you, but they didn’t have the same life experience as you. The boy was groaning on the ground and when realization struck his comrades they came rushing to you. They all began circling around you stepping back and forth trying to scare you. One of them even brought out a pocket knife and started waving it at you with a smirk. You were thanking the heavens that your brother taught you things in his free time.

Two boys came at you at once, but you ducked avoiding his right hook. You stood back up avoid his second attempt. You round house kicked the guy in the neck. He stumbled bent over and you took advantage of it bringing your knee to his face. The other guy came at you while you were distracted and grabbed your pony tail pulling you back. The one with the knife attempted to stab you while you were being restrained but avoided it losing the bell sleeve to the grazing. You wiggled yourself free of the pony tail grabber and pushed him away. The knife wielder came back at you, but you grabbed his wrist before he could do anything and twisted it past its normal extension. He wasn’t a knife wielder, it must be for show since he was coming at you sloppily. You heard his wrist pop and the knife clang to the floor. He backed away holding his wrist screaming, “She broke my wrist!” These boys looked stronger than they were. The last two stood there watching their friends and decided they should make a run for it. They were stopped though when two police officers intercepted them.

Key was running over to you, “Y/N! Are you alright?” You retightened your pony tail, “Yeah, that was nothing.” You dusted your hands off in a satisfied manner and key spoke again, “Your shoes–!” Before Key could finish authorities along with the principal came around the corner. The principal was yelling, “No, not these boys! They would’ve never done anything wrong! That Miller kid must’ve provoked them!” You were in complete shock, despite the clear evidence she still chooses to side with these kids. The police officers rounded the boys up and took the one with the broken hand to the ambulance. A familiar face came up to you, “M. Y/L/N, we meet again, in another unfortunate situation.” You look around squinting at his uniform and caught his name and it clicked, the same bunny hybrid officer from that night! “Officer Jeon,” you shake his hand, “Our lawyer, Mr. Kim, sent us here to get a testimony, but we caught our defense under attack by the same boys who are holding a lawsuit against him.” He wrote down your notes and testimony. He turned to Key and asked for his story, who basically repeated after you. Key whispered to you, “Y/N, I think you’re going to have to with them to the station. You’re a badass, but legally beating up minors doesn’t work out.” He was right, but you weren’t going to stand by watching someone get beat up. Another officer came up to Jeon and discussed things you couldn’t hear. He turned to you with an apologetic look, “I’m sorry Ms. Y/L/N, but we’re going to have to take you down to the station for further questions.” You weren’t surprised, the chances of you scathing by this with rich kid’s parents protecting them was unlikely. You told Key to go back to the office and report everything without you. You held your wrist out towards Officer Jeon with no words and he silently cuffed you walking you to his patrol car.

Key was impressed with you, he felt like he was watching a live super hero film the way you jumped in saved the kid and beat up those guys! He had to snap himself out of his giddy atmosphere and let reality sink in. He had to let Taehyung know and get you out! He had to get you out! He picked up your broken heels raced to his car slipping into the driver seat and peeled out of the parking lot. He made it back to the office in record breaking time, parking haphazardly in his spot in the parking garage of the office. He snatched the heels in the passenger seat and ran to the elevator. He pressed the up button of the elevator repeatedly as if his life depended on it. The door opened, and he stepped inside pressing the fifth floor and mashing the close door button. He was sweating at this point, it was supposed to be a simple task, but it escalated into something major fast. The elevator doors opened, and he zoomed past Mrs. Smith who called after him. He speed pass the work room not paying attention to his team who was eyeing him in wonder. He repeatedly knocked on Mr. Kim’s door not waiting for a come in, and he closing the door behind him. Mr. Kim was on the phone which gave Key time to catch his breath. He was tapping his foot impatiently on the floor. Mr. Kim finished his call and turned to his team member, “What is–?” Key interrupted holding up the shoes, “Taehyung, Y/N! Y/N, she was taken by the authorities—you know what just watch this!” He pulled out his phone and came around the desk and showed him the video of earlier. It began with the kids bullying David, but then you came in the picture. Everything was fine until the kid laid a hand on you. You were tossing the kid around and even dodge a knife. He was worried when he saw the shoes, but it got worse when he saw the video. When the video finished he turned to Key, “where is she?” Key looked down at the floor, “The police took her. They want to question her further.” Taehyung got up from his desk, “Fuck!” and without any other words put on his coat and took his keys and made his way out the office with Key behind him.

The longer it took them to get to the downtown station the angrier he got. How could you carelessly attack? You didn’t think ahead at all! They made it to the station and walked into the entrance. The phones were ringing, officers were running around, some hanging around at their desk. He recognized a familiar face who was standing next to his partner, Kim Yugyeom who was a friend of his as well. Wordlessly he walked up to Jungkook and grabbed his arm, “Where is she?” Jungkook was surprised to see Taehyung here, it wasn’t common he ever came down to the station. “Who hyung?” Taehyung looked around the office not seeing you anywhere. “Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N.” Jungkook eyes lit up, “Oh! She’s in a holding cell. Do you know her hyung?” He didn’t care to respond to him, but carried on, “Take me to her, I need to see her.” He was seething at this point; his tail was flicking, and his ears were down turned. Jungkook picked up on his anger with his ears standing straight up, he wondered what did Tae have anything to do with you? Jungkook tapped his partners arms then lead him and Key to the back hallway where the holding cells were. He unlocked the metal cage door revealing rows of cells along the hallway. He let them enter and directed them to the second to last cell on the right side. Taehyung came up to the cell, but held his tongue when he saw you curled up in the corner. Your knees have crusted blood dripping down your leg and your shirt was torn. He turned around running his hand through his hair calming himself down.

You looked up to the noise slowly and noticed the three of them staring at you. You went to sit back on your heels despite the pain and leaned forward in a bow, “I’m sorry Mr. Kim.” You stayed in that position even as he responded, “I can’t believe you. On your first errand…How–.” He walked back to the station’s main room with Jungkook following him. Key remained crouching down, “Y/N, get up. He’s gone.” You rose with a stoic face, you felt so guilty that may you had ruined the case. You wanted to bring justice to David, but you were just complicating things. In your heart you did the right thing, you stopped violence and the innocent from getting hurt. “It’s going to be okay Y/N. Taehyung may be upset right now, but he’ll get you out. He’s not one of the four famous lawyers at our firm for nothing,” Key explained. It made you feel a bit better and you offered him a small smile. He left you but offered his blazer to keep warm and you took it from him reluctantly.

Jungkook came up behind Taehyung who was staring at the Miller family situated at one of the desk. The mother was rocking her son back in forth in comfort. She had tears in her eyes and her bunny ears were flopped down in sadness. This hurt his heart. It reminded him of his own mother when she comforted him those nights realizing his father wouldn’t come back. He wasn’t going to let these kids get away with their bullying. Jungkook spoke up, “Who is Y/N to you hyung?” Taehyung turned to him, “she’s my newest employee.” Jungkook’s mouth formed the perfect “O” in realization. Jungkook lead Taehyung to the family and they discussed what actions would be taken further. Their discussion was interrupted by a few women coming in yelling at the top of their lungs. “My son is innocent! Where is the bitch that ruined his wrist!” the fancily dressed woman shouted into the room. Jungkook stood up addressing the women, “Ma’am, please sit down,” directly the woman to sit at the desk. “No, I want to see that women who beat up my son and his friends!” Taehyung stood up as well attempting to mediate the situation. Mrs. Miller was holding her son closer, protecting him in the best way she could. The woman struggled in Jungkook’s hold but everyone stopped when a tall man, with overly gelled back hair walked into the room. He has a uniform that was littered with badges on his left chest. The man spoke loudly, “Ma’am, we need to ask you to calm down and take a seat.” The woman turned in Jungkook’s hold, “and who are you to order me around?” Jungkook bowed to his senior, “Chief.” The man waved him off and took charge of the situation directing the woman to sit down at one of the conference tables.

Taehyung and the woman’s lawyer went at eachother for a while back and forth trying to come to a resolution, but they were stubborn. Taehyung was off in the corner trying to come up with a new statement when the lawyer asked for a break. Jungkook came up to him with a coffee in a Styrofoam cup which Taehyung took thanking him. Jungkook sat next to him, “Hyung, remember how I told you about that heroine?” Taehyung nodded after taking a sip of his dark coffee. “That’s her. Y/N is her.” Taehyung raised his brows not expecting the wonder woman of Jungkook’s story to be you. He laughed though, you were full of surprises today. Jungkook patted Tae’s back returning to his desk. Taehyung finished his coffee tossing it into the trash. Mrs. Miller, the rich wives were already gone, and Key went back to the office it was only him left. He sighed with a heavy heart and made his way back to the dimly lit cells. He walked slowly to your cell to find you in the same position as earlier. He crouched down to your level and called to you, “Hey, hey!” You looked up at him with sad eyes that he had to turn away. “You’re going to have to stay here for the night. There seems to be progress with the families, but this isn’t a simple lawsuit anymore.” You nodded knowing that there was no way going the easy route. He got up to walk away from the cell wordlessly like always. You spoke softly in whisper as always, “Good night Tae Tae.” The footsteps once moving down the hall stopped, turning around to you even faster. Taehyung grabbed the bars knocking on the cell door with a rattle looking at you with wide eyes, ears at attention, “What did you just say?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 01/17/2018: [The Firefly that Guards the Fox 3](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/169809374678/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-3)


	4. Chapter 4

The tension in the air was thick cutting through the musky stress sweat odor left by previous tenants. The silence was deafening from the abrupt pause. Within seconds the fox pounced the bars, rattling the once calm metal. His eyes were blown out, tail wagging, nails elongated and ears pulled backwards against his skull. The spotlight hanging in your cell swung lightly back and forth from the impact against the bars. Chaos was a foot. You scrambled back lining up against the back wall snatching Key’s blazer shakily at the sudden appearance. His ragged breathing was cut off with, “What did you say?” His expression was vague, somewhere in between angry or upset, either way it demanded an answer. It was all on you now, you’ve grown too vulnerable and unguarded around him. You’ve already kissed her goodbye and let the hand go of the woman you used to be to him. You just started finding your footing among the team; no way were you letting that go.

You needed a way out and fast.

Taking the next steps carefully, you began chattering your teeth pulling the blazer closer to you. “Good-Good night Tae-Tae Taehyung.” You felt vulnerable with him staring at you intently, judging your character with squinted eyes. Clanking rang through the hollow hallway from the heavy main cell door addressing the presence of someone else. Taehyung turned his attention to the tall figure now at the entrance of the hall. This gave you time to puff your cheeks full of air and cluck your tongue against the roof of your mouth matching the noisy sounds. You were able to accumulate enough pressure in your mouth within those few seconds that when he turned around back to you your acting was complete. You opened your mouth while shivering releasing a billowing cloud of condensation. Physics wasn’t your favorite subject in college, but for once you could use it. He looked at you with astonishment not quiet believing his eyes, but he did. How could someone fake condensation? Your acting was solidified when he pulled his blazer tighter to himself and his body relaxed. He didn’t think it was that cold as you were making it out to be, but then again, he was a hybrid. Hybrids naturally had a higher body temperature. “Mr. Kim! That’s the only way you can address me Y/L/N.”

The tall figure standing at the main door walked towards Mr. Kim. The slow, calm pace clicks of his dress shoes was an eerie suspense since you couldn’t see the owner. Mr. Kim shifted his ears up with the new individual presence and held his now relaxed hand out to greet the figure approaching. His march halted in front of your cell with his last footstep bringing his heels alongside with a loud clap. He was standing directly under a spotlight sending chills down your spine watching the silhouetted man. The man wore a dark navy suit; you stared at his shoes making your way up the shadowed, capped figure to his head. The ample amount of medals on his left breast glimmered under the dim lighting. The silhouette face under the cap was brute. In a polite gesture, the man took off his cap bringing it down to rest against his chest. The over gelled, slicked back haired man raised his lowered head revealing the deformed left side of his face. The intense, deep scars trailed from his temple and dragged down to disappear into his collared dress shirt in three lines. The man offered a jagged smile shaking Mr. Kim’s hand in a strong grip, “Mr. Kim, you do know it’s after visiting hours, right? Even though you are a friend to this station, you can’t break the rules.” With a raised brow he gave Mr. Kim a suggestive look. The man looked down at you in unamusement, but flipped the switch suddenly into a crass smile. You weren’t a hybrid, but your intuition was telling you to get away from him. He was bad news. You could feel the goosebumps forming as he studied you, and it wasn’t from the bad acting. Mr. Kim offered a smile back, “I’m sorry Chief, it won’t happen again. I was just leaving.” Mr. Kim gave you one last look and they walked side by side out of the hallway.

Taehyung wasn’t close to the man, but he’s seen the Chief enough with his frequent visits to the station. He bowed to the Chief at the station’s main entrance and walked to his car in the parking lot. When Taehyung was out of sight, two men dressed in black with a mask and hat covering their face came behind the Chief. The chief stood unchanging his watch on the disappearing figure with his hands clasped behind his back. With a deep breath he tilted his head back rotating it clockwise cracking his neck. He slanted his head back after coming to a rest casting a deep shadow over his eyes. A menacing smile bloomed but only pulling up fully on one side, “Follow him boys.” The two men nodded and silently walked down the step steps with their hands tucked in their pockets blending in with the nightly shadows.

Taehyung drove back to the office on the nearly empty streets before heading home. He parked in the empty underground parking garage leaving his black M5 BMW in his reserved spot. He grabbed his leather briefcase from the passenger seat and draped his coat over his forearm closing the driver’s door. The click of his oxford loafers echoed in the otherwise silent garage. The ding of the elevator registered and brought him up to the fifth floor. The darkness greeted him, but he reached out for the light switch without looking having turned it off too many times from working late. He walked through the work room and glanced over at his team’s desk. It hasn’t been long since you’ve started working for him, but he’s gotten used to seeing you sitting at your desk. He could picture you sticking your pen in your bun instead of behind your ear in concentration. The swollen pout of your lips when you were stuck or frustrated. The room felt empty with out you. You’ve become a constant in his life. He stepped towards your desk smiling and grazed the surface of it with his fingers. Before he could stop himself, his cheerfully wagging tail was wrapping around the leg of the desk scent marking. When he realized what he was doing he unwrapped his tail like it touch a hot iron and back tracked towards his office. He opened the door and walked in sitting his briefcase down on one of the two leather seats across his desk. He slumped down into his swivel office chair and rested his clasped hands on his stomach reclining back. He closed his eyes going over today. The simple task he gave you turned out to be a catalytic event.

Furrowing his brows in thought, he tried deciphering if his ears have ever failed him before. When he was walking away from you, he swore he heard “Good night Tae Tae.” Only people who were close to him called him that, in fact, only his mother and Hoseok called him that. Well, that girl from the countryside used to as well, but she’s not around anymore. His phone dinged with an incoming message. Not wanting to move from his comfortable position he opened one eye to see who it was disturbing him. “Kim Kibum has sent you a video file,” projected on his lock screen. Any remaining energy was dedicated to hunching over his desk and opening the file. It was the video recording from earlier today that Kibum showed him. He shared it to his Dropbox to pull up on the larger screen of his desktop. He turned his seat to face the desktop and hit the space bar watching everything unfold. His attention was on the kids bullying David, but your shouts broke his concentration. You walked over confidently asking for them to stop, but then was thrown to the ground by a figure taller than you. A low, aggressive yell escaped his throat watching you get tossed. The armrest of his chair got a taste of his claws. Once you stood up and took control of the situation it was like watching a UFC match! He sat up right with a sudden burst of energy watching the action film play out. He even found himself cheering for you mimicking your punches. He shadows boxed along feeling like he was getting the bad guys too. You even took on a guy with a knife! When all was said and done, you turned around to the camera and smoothed your hair behind your ear and scoffed. You were just like a heroine in a movie.

His eyes started seeing double, the same posture taken on by a child with a choppy bowl cut. “Pick on somebody your own size!” She was pointing at the group of boys a few years older than her. She was the same height as him, so the comeback didn’t make any sense. She stood to the side of the half circle of boys surrounding him. They laughed at her pushing her as well to the ground. He was whining and shrieking rushing over to her to pick her up, but she stood up on her own. She went charging at the boys with no mercy. She wouldn’t let anyone pick on her fox! The light in her eyes lit up when she turned around to Tae, cheering as the boys ran away. She held out her hand to pick him off the floor in his submissive stance, “Let’s get some ice cream Tae!” He was amazed that a girl, who’s so small, was able to take on four fourth graders! He smiled his boxy smile and nodded taking her hand.

His eyes focused back on the blackened screen seeing the reflection of himself. Why was he having so many flashbacks about this girl when it concerned Y/N? He rubbed his eyes, he must be exhausted and already entering a dream like state. He needed to figure a way to get you out and settle the Miller case. He reviewed the video a few more times watching carefully for things he could use to build onto the case. He fell asleep on his desk with the video looping in the background. Mrs. Lee shook him awake. He groggily shooed her away asking for five more minutes. She shook him once again and he finally sat up with hair sticking out everywhere. His ears were twitching along with his slow blinking eyes, “Mr. Kim, did you sleep here?” He looked around his office noticing that it was now day time. “Go home and get changed before you start work for the day. Today’s going to be busy. I pushed back all your clients for today, so go ahead.” He mumbled thanks and picked up his brief case and made his way home.

You slept curled up against the corner of the cell with the blazer acting as your blanket. Knocking on the cell door woke you up, so you turned your head off the wall towards the sound. Jungkook was standing there with two ramen cups with steam leaking from the lids. He looked exhausted with his hair sticking out in random places and uneven tucked in shirt. You offered a small smile and propped yourself into an upright sitting position. Your pencil skirt restricted you from crossing your legs comfortably. Jungkook opened the cell and set a cup down in front of you. “How’d you sleep?” He asked cheekily, you picked up the chopsticks and cheerily responded, “Well I’ve never stayed in a five-star hotel before, but I felt the luxury and comfort of one last night.” He laughed at your review and cheered your cup of ramen with his. “Taehyung is coming in later to talk again with the boys, excuse me plaintiffs, who were brought in this morning. Some of them have already gone through interviews, but their parents pulled them out. Their parents were able to wiggle them out of staying in jail.” You sighed, knowing that the wealthy always get away with things; no matter the bail it was chump change to them. Money can buy some people anything for the right amount. You looked at Jungkook taking in his disheveled appearance, “You should go home. You look like you’ve stayed up all night.” He nodded while slurping up a mouthful of noodles. “I did I stayed up and went out on patrol. The recent uprising of hybrid trafficking has gotten worse.” You poked at him with your knee on his thigh, “go home Jeon.” Another knock on the cell door echoed and another officer stood with legs crossed at the entrance, “flirting with an inmate Jeon?” Jungkook choked on his broth and turned towards his partner, “Yugyeom!” You laughed along with his partner, Yugyeom. His partner introduced himself to you, but Jungkook cut it short. He got up and grumbled to you, “Taehyung will be here shortly. I’ll take your advice, see you later Y/N.” You waved him off watching Yugyeom wink at you while he threw his arm around Jungkook’s shoulder. Ramen was indeed food for the soul.

The interrogation room was dark except for the florescent spotlight shinning on the single table in the center of the room. The metal folded chairs sat empty for the mean time. Behind the two-way window stood Jungkook, Yugyeom and a few other officers in the observation room. Taehyung waited among the lot with the other parties’ lawyer for their clients to make their way into the room. The last of the five plaintiffs walked in escorted by another officer had a cast around his hand up to his elbow. He sat down in one of the chairs observing the room, chewing gum obnoxiously. He stares at the two-way window challenging whomever stands behind it. His lawyer steps into the room taking a seat alongside him. Taehyung watches as his defense attorney goes over the legalities, but the kid just scoffs waving him off with his good hand. It’s obvious to tell that his lawyer is getting paid well enough to deal with these kids.

Officer Jeon steps into the room with a folder and bag in his hand. He sits down at the table laying the folder on the table and leaving the bag in his lap. Taehyung stands directly at the window’s edge resting his hands on the pane. The kid leans to his left and spits his gum on the floor. Jungkook sits back and only stares, while the kid imitates him actions. “Let’s begin with the basics, who are you?” The kid’s nose scrunches in detest, “You don’t know who I am? I’m sure you’ve heard of my dad.” Officer Jeon is holding his patience with this brat and opens the manila folder looking over the kid’s details. His father is the owner of LVT Industries, one of the biggest electronic companies worldwide. Jungkook doesn’t want to waste any time on someone who’s going to just preach about his father’s achievements. “Were you the one who wielded the knife?” He brings out the evidence bag with the knife in it and sets it on the table. The kid’s expression didn’t change, but the lawyer did; apparently, he didn’t know. His eyes widened and whipped his head around towards the kid. The kid shrugged his shoulders. The attorney’s eyes were running back and forth rapidly looking for any excuse. “You know your friends already told us it was you.” That was a lie, but he needed the kid to say it was him. The kids leg started shaking in agitation, “they wouldn’t do that!” Ah, he struck a cord with him. The lawyer seemed to be catching on to what Officer Jeon was doing and interjected saying that he’ll abstain from commenting.

The questioning went back and forth for a while until the kid grew tired of the questions. “Look, Bunny Officer whatever you are, how much money do I have to give you, huh?” Officer Jeon raised his brows, “Give money me for what?” The kid leaned forward on the table with one hand beckoning Officer Jeon forward. “To get you,” pointing his index at Officer Jeon, “to let me,” jabbing his thumb at himself, “out of here? What? You want me to tell you that we—,” his confession was cut short when the door swung open. An officer with a captain badge interrupted, “Officer Jeon, please step out of the room.” Jeon stood up pushing the metal chair back with a clang, “What! Captain, I’m not leaving until I’m done!” The officer wasn’t having any of Jungkook’s protest, “Leave or you’re off the case. Your questions were out of line. You need to leave now.” Jeon looked back to the kid who wore a smirk and shrugged his shoulders with feigned sympathy, “Oh no Mr. Officer!” “Jeon, out!” The captain kept insisting so Jeon picked up the evidence and walked out the room, past the observation room and into the hallway.

Taehyung watched as the captain apologized to the kid and lawyer, then went to follow Jungkook out to the hall. He was about to call out to Jungkook, who was walking away slamming his jacket to the floor and running his hand through his hair, when he heard the clicking of heels. They both turned around to see the police chief walking with a woman, who was in a fur coat. The coat reeked of death; humans couldn’t smell it but Jungkook and he clearly could. The police chief stood in front of the pair and with a stern look, “Officer Jeon, control yourself.” With a huff Jungkook picked up his jacket and saluted his superior. It was odd that just after the interview was stopped the mother of the child was outside the hall smiling? Shouldn’t she be concerned for her child? Much less standing with the police chief? Something didn’t feel right, he didn’t need his hybrid instincts half to tell him that. Mr. Kim offered a friendly handshake to the unusual pair, but the rich woman just turned her head away from his gaze with a huff. The police chief folded his hands behind him and walked past the two into the interrogation room with the woman. Taehyung brought his unshaken hand back to him and turned to Jungkook, “Is he always involved in cases?” Jungkook shook his head, “only when it concerns the rich. I still can’t believe he got promoted first before my unit’s captain, who’s been here for decades. The chief used to be the captain of Gang relations only for a few years, but was promoted to police chief with no election. They suddenly had a press conference saying that the old police chief left in his will that he assigned him to be the new official.” None of that sounded right to Taehyung, it all sounded so forced. Officer Kim Yugyeom came around the corner, “guys you need to come see this!” Officer Jeon and Mr. Kim exchanged looks and followed Yugyeom down the hall towards the holding cells.

The police chief stopped the mother from following the officers escorting her son into the interrogation room. “Ma’am, please follow me into my office for some coffee.” She looked back to see the owner of the voice who offered her coffee and caught on to his nuance when he raised his eyebrow suggestively. The woman gave a crooked smile, but only as far as the Botox would let her. The chief lead the mother off into another isolated hallway leading to higher ups offices. The woman rummaged in her purse to pull out her wallet to check if she brought her checkbook. When the chief noticed her rummaging he turned to her, “Oh no, Ma’am, you won’t be needing that” with a wink. He allowed her to step into his office first leading her in with a feigned smile. The office was closed off away from the rest of the station. Before stepping over to his desk he pulled the cord of the roller blinds on the window down blocking the view from any prying eyes. Chief leaned in on his desk with folded hands ,”I think I have a way to help your son Ma’am.” In discussion he gestured out with exaggerated movements to add to the proposition. The woman threw her hands in the air displeased, but he held his in front of him to calm her down. She pulled out her wallet again and pulled out her checkbook ripping out a check. Her pen was working furiously, and she slammed the check in front of him, “I hope this will be more than generous for you.” With a soft smile he nodded taking the check and locking it in a drawer on his desk. He pulled out his notepad and with a fountain pen wrote down a name for her, “talk to this man next, he will be of greater help to you, tell him I sent you.” The woman smiled and folded the piece of paper into her wallet hiding it from plain sight. One of the captain’s always following the police chief knocked at the door. The chief allowed him in and the captain offered him a bow, “Sir, its time for you to step in.” Heels clicked on the tile floor in his office, “I trust in you chief that you will take care of my son. I leave him in your hands.” The chief responded cryptically, “trust in me Ma’am.”

As Taehyung, Jungkook and Yugyeom approached the hallway they heard uncharacteristic keyboard typing coming from the holding hallway. He stood in the doorway with the officers behind him at the main cell door watching his teammates Kibum and Krystal deep in concentration. Key was sitting in the hallway in front of your cell working on his laptop typing away furiously. Stacks of paper were sprawled out nearby creating a half circle ring around the lawyer. Krystal was on the phone pacing back and forth chewing on her thumb. Taehyung approached with his tail swishing curiously, but Key didn’t bother looking up to acknowledge him, nor did Krystal stop the call. He stepped directly behind Kibum looking over his shoulder to see what was so pressing. Key’s laptop was opened to files on the Miller’s case and similar cases studying their outcomes. Officer Jeon and Kim approached crouching down next to Kibum studying his papers. Taehyung changed his direction of observation and looked into the cell to find you in a similar fashion. You now had a change of clothes with jeans and a t-shirt instead of your professional attire. Your hair was in a sloppy bun held together by pencils sticking out of it in random configuration with the typical pout scrunching your expression. He asked, “what are you guys doing?” You looked up over your papers,” Oh, Good evening Mr. Kim. I asked Kibum to bring over some files. Ms. Jung was already in the area and tagged along. I had an epiphany last night and it brought some things to my attention. We decided since I won’t be able to go anywhere for the meantime that it doesn’t mean the world stops. I can still work from here, so I’m going to do my job.” He was impressed by your dedication, even in this situation you were still thinking of the client. The wild thing sitting casually in front of him was more exotic than his own genetic mix. Just what exactly are you? “Why, Ms. Y/L/N?” You pulled out a pencil from your bun and a small curl of hair now hung in front of your eye. You blew it out of your face, “their life is in my hands and the mistake was mine. I must protect them with all I can.” Your words washed over him like cold water. He was seeing double again recalling the same woman in front of him and the firefly of his childhood. The heroine never stopped fighting even when the fight was over. The story goes on until it’s truly over. He sat down with you guys and pulled out his laptop. Key looked at him questioningly, “what are you doing, Mr. Kim?” He didn’t even bother looking up, “Protecting Mr. Kim,” he said with a cheeky smile. Officer Jeon and Kim exchanged looks, “we’ll bring you guys some coffee.”

It was late when Jungkook walked back to the holding cells. He was assigned to close the main cell door for the night. Taehyung was on his phone talking to Mrs. Lee going over files at the office. Key was writing an email out to the hybrid protection council, and you were sipping coffee intensely going over papers. Ms. Jung left hours ago for a field investigation. It was endearing to watch and he smiled tenderly at the scene, but he had to call this a night. He jangled his keys form the entrance walking over garnering the attention of the trio. “Officer Jeon, can you get me some more coffee please?” you spoke to the man without looking extending your empty cup through the bars. The rest of the group chimed in asking for a cup as well, “Your finest instant coffee Jeon.” He was taken aback by the request, “Sorry, but visiting hours,” he paused looking at his watch, “have been over for a while now. I can’t let you stay any longer tonight.” Key looked up at him pleadingly but Jungkook stayed firm on his decision, “really, I could get in big trouble if I let you stay. I already let it slip that you’re working in here.” Not wanting to push their luck they packed everything up, but you asked if they could leave some files behind with you. Key was first to leave, but Taehyung hesitated a few seconds before leaving. He muttered under his breath, “Good night, Ms. Y/L/N.” He was walking away before you could say anything, but you couldn’t speak anyways. Your mouth was hanging open with eyes as wide as boulders. Did he just say good night? The rosy dust over your cheek didn’t go unnoticed by Jungkook who was sharing an equally large smile. It was back to work for you.

The next day the rich families lawyer came to the station speaking on behalf of the plaintiffs regarding a contract. You sat next to Taehyung in one of the meeting rooms anticipating the news. The attorney slid over a file with a contract and a NDA form. Taehyung took it before you could reach for it and reviewed over it, while the other lawyer spoke. “The families have decided to not press any charges against Y/L/N, but under the condition that you will not use against them in court. They want you to sign this to assure an understanding between the parties and not mention signing of the contract. You will be let out effective immediately when you sign this.” You looked over to Taehyung who sat the file down and you swiped it to review it yourself. “They still want to proceed with current allegations in the class lawsuit against the Millers, so there will be no amendments to the standing case. Do you accept Ms. Y/L/N.” You couldn’t believe the pettiness of these families. Why were they so hell bent on attacking this hybrid?

“Can you please give us time to discuss this privately?” You questioned the attorney to which he hesitantly stood up and looked at his watch, “I need to leave soon, make it fast.” As a lawyer yourself you knew he was just trying to press you into a decision, but you’ve already made yours. Once the man was out of the room, you turned to Mr. Kim, “I will sign this.” Mr. Kim whipped his head around to look at you, “are you crazy? What are you talking about? The video is the best evidence we have!” With a heavy heart you turned to him, “I want to help David and I’m limited in here. We can edit the video up until I came into frame. They don’t seem to know about the video, so it will be valid evidence. The important thing here is David not me.” Mr. Kim was taken aback, “but they held a knife to you? Shouldn’t they be punished for that?” You nodded, “Yes, but I think I don’t want the media to focus on that. I want them to focus on the discrimination and make an example of these kids. I want other hybrids to be able to come to the law and not be afraid of losing or being shamed.” Mr. Kim was holding back his objections, but you were right. The media would focus on the wrong thing and this was a step towards addressing hybrid discrimination as an issue. He was torn. “It’s up to you Y/n.” It threw you off that he used your first name. You couldn’t ask why he called you by your first name when he was already out of his seat calling back the attorney. You signed the contract and slipped it back to him taking your copy of the contract. The lawyer thanked you and walked out of the room. Holding your file to your chest, “I don’t mind getting hurt. It’s precious time and resources were wasting on me. Right now, we need to focus on David Miller. He’s the victim, not me.” You got up and walked out of the room with your bag full of your clothes. You’ve made your choice and he understood it completely. It wasn’t right though, it didn’t sit right with him. You were important.

The next week until the trail the team spent it working tirelessly. You weren’t the only one working late at night. Key and you went through all the kid’s social medias and social outlets. Krystal went to search for CCTV for any possible captures of other harassments to other students. You spent more time with the family getting to know them and collecting as much as you can. Mr. Kim was working endlessly as well, you would often step into his office refilling his coffee even though he didn’t ask. He would smile when he saw you leaving the room and the steam cup of coffee on his desk. Every time Mr. Kim would make his way back to the station he was bombarded by the media asking questions and for any details he would disclose. He would brush them off not letting them have any insight. The fear of failure was at your doorstep. The devil was knocking remind you that the clock was ticking, and he was here to collect you. The defamation wasn’t only some rich kids trying to save themselves, but it was bigger than that.

The plaintiffs wanted a bench trail claiming a jury would be unnecessary and no media exposure within the court. This was privatized from the public as much as possible, except they were at the doors of the courthouse waiting for the result. The amount of media vans and reporters parked outside made it hard for you to squeeze past. You sat along with your team members in the pews on the defendant’s side of the room. Mrs. Miller sat next to you, her ears were already floppy, but you could tell that they lacked any spirit in them. You warmly gripped her tight hand in yours patting it to ease her mind. The other side of the pews was the families of the sons, or at least the members that could make it. Mrs. Miller was a single mother, she has no relatives. Her husband, who was human and her owner, abandoned her once he found out she was pregnant. Humans can be so cruel. The five plaintiffs sat in a row next to their lawyer. Taehyung sat next to David shuffling through some papers, when he noticed the kid fidgeting he placed his hand on the kids knee to stop the shaking. He leaned in and whispered, “David, you mustn’t let them know you’re afraid. They will use it against you. I will do my best. Trust me, okay?” David’s foot stopped thumping, his breathing regulated, and his ears relaxed. Normally in the wild, rabbits are foxes pray, but today he will stand guard.

The doors to the court room opened loudly interrupting the soft murmuring causing most of the audience to turn. The loud commotion from the reporters filled the low hum of the courtroom. You looked over your shoulder to see the police chief and two other officers following him in. He guided his beady eyes over the crowd and they landed on yours. He offered a polite, crooked smile and proceeded to take a seat in the back. Every time he was nearby you could feel it, the ominous air about him crawled into yours suffocating you. You turned back watching the back of Taehyungs head, but you couldn’t shake the feeling of him watching you. You squeezed Mrs. Millers hand in assurance, but your attention was dragged away when the bailiff stepped in front of the judge’s desk, “All rise.” 

The elderly judge walked up to his seat in his black robe and signaled with his hands for everyone to be seated. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of Students from Saint Ambrose Academy versus David Miller. Are both sides ready?” Mr. Kim and the defense attorney stood, “Ready for the People, your Honor.” Mr. Kim answered, “Ready for the defense, your Honor.” The clerk proceeded to swear the witness and participants. The deputy attorney stood once again, “Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen: the defendant has been charged with defamation and false allegations of harassment and assault. The evidence will show that the interactions between these students never occur and there is no medical backing. The defendant is using my clients for their wealth status and popularity, falsely accusing them of discrimination. The evidence I present will prove to you that the defendant is guilty as charged.” Taehyung was twirling his pen in irritation. Switching over Mr. Kim stood up still twirling his pen, “Your Honor under the law my client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The evidence I will present to you will show that my client was harassed and assaulted, and the acts were driven by discrimination against my client. You will come to know the truth that David Miller holds truth to all rumors. Therefore, my client is not guilty.” Murmurs from the plaintiff’s half rung through with grunts of disgust and scoffs of disbelief. You turned to scowl at the fowl women who were taking advantage of this family. One woman was grinning like a witch and turned to look back. You looked back where she was looking and noticed she was eyeing the police chief. Alarm bells were going off in your head, your instincts were never wrong! Something was not right. You looked over to Taehyung who looked indifferent, the perfect poker face.

Your side didn’t have much evidence since the school’s CCTV recently was taken down for an update on their system. David’s medical records were wiped away from the hospitals data base. His attending doctor even denied servicing him. Taehyung was really pulling everything out that he had from the details of the little evidence we had. The other hybrid students at the school refused to come and no persuasion could convince them. They worried that they would become just like David. You crossed your fingers on the hand that wasn’t being strangled. Since you signed the contract, Key was forced to edit the video until the point of your entrance. It was the last thing they had, the winning bit. The debate was back and forth with objections, overruling and sustainment. The progress was slow. The judge considering only a few of the exhibits our side presented, dismissing the others as non-admittable. You were growing frustrated; the favor was obvious.

The final argument was Mr. Kim’s last chance at convincing the judge that David was innocent. Mr. Kim called the boy, who was the alleged leader of that group, to the stand. “Please state your name.” The boy scoffed, “Tyler Armas, son of Armas Telecom Services.” Mr. Kim looked over to the team and then to the plaintiff’s side gauging the crowd. You gave him a smile to which he didn’t return. Mrs. Miller hasn’t let go of your hand once. Taehyung looked to the back finally noticing the police chief. It was unusual for a police chief to sit in on a case, but after what he saw the other day he knew something was off. The chief raised a brow, but Mr. Kim turned back to the plaintiff. “Your Honor I will play a video of the victim David Miller being assaulted by the plaintiff’s.” Mr. Kim clicked the clicker of the remote causing the scene to roll. David was on the floor being kicked by the boys and the taunts rung throughout the court room. When the video ended the parents of the children were silent for the first time, but then one woman stood up, “those boys are not our sons!” The judge struck his gavel, “Order in the court!” Mr. Kim turned to Armas and asked, “Ty, is that you in this video?” His defense attorney stood up, “objection, your Honor! That’s a leading question.” The judge hit the gavel again, “proceed Mr. Kim.” Ty answered with a roll of his head, “No, that is not me.” You were about to get up but stopped yourself. Those bastards!

The plaintiff on stand kept denying any questions Mr. Kim asked and receiving objections from the attorney; his fake alibi was even back up by timestamped paperwork. Their teachers claimed they were in class at the time of the assault. Their attorney even pulled the sympathy card that they never had a criminal record and were straight A students. Mr. Kim knew it, he knew it at this point that he was cornered. For the first time in his law career, he was cornered. The law was working for them, the rich. The decision has been set from the beginning. “Thank you. I have no further questions.” He returned to his seat and the defense attorney stood up, “Your Honor these men in the video cannot be stated clearly as my clients. The video is not clear enough and the camera work is shaky. It may even be plausible to say that the video was staged.” Mrs. Miller let go of your hand now and stood up, “That was my son! Those monsters are clearly visible!” You had to pull her back down to sit next to you. The judge again banged his gavel gaining silence. Kibum’s leg was shaking in anticipation, you’ve all realized it. Key folded his head into his hands on his knees and whispered, “they’ve covered all alibis.” You felt eyes on you again, so you turned back to see the police chief smiling to himself almost in a giggle glancing at your team. How could someone find humor in this? Your stomach was curling with nausea. The deputy attorney finished his statements concluding, “Thank you. I have no further questions.”

Everything was presented, all their cards were on the table. They now leave it up to the judge to decipher between the truths and lies. The judge went back to his office to deliberate and was to come back after the break with an answer. The result of the case was in the hands of a single man. All the evidence was laid on the table, Taehyung’s reputation was on the line. He’s never lost a case. It was all or nothing.

The judge comes back of out his office an hour later, and the bailiff announces, “court is back in session.” You were sweating, the deliberation was too fast. The judge pulls his glasses to the bridge of his nose and reads over the paperwork once more. He raises his head and the decision was to be announced the room was silent. “In the Miller vs Ambrose Students, the plaintiffs are charging the defendant, David Miller, with defamation for accusations of discrimination against hybrids and assault. To my deliberation I’ve found the defendant…,” Mrs. Millers hand was squeezing yours tightly, “David Miller guilty of defamation and no discrimination took place. The evidence proved no assault, or any harm took place. The footage was unclear and was not considered. Miller will be fined $20,000 for the damages and asked to write a formal apology for the humiliation and stress placed on these families.”

The cheers from the plaintiff’s side was deafening. The rich mother’s taunts were sung in melodies like sirens. You had to catch Mrs. Miller who was falling over about to pass out, “Mrs. Miller!” Mrs. Lee took over her and lead her out of the courtroom. When the doors opened the clicks of the cameras and shouting of questions roared, “What was the decision!” It was over, but you’re restless. It wasn’t right! Nothing about this case was! You looked over to Taehyung who was stuck frozen. The police chief got out of his seat and quietly left the room with the other officers. Taehyung got up from his seat and bowed deeply to the kid. He stayed in that position for a while and then picked up his brief case and left the court room silently. He brushed by your shoulder knocking against you and did the same to the media. You had to step in and take care of the boy for the next steps. You were unapologetic in handling human comfort. Humans are so good at pretending everything is okay. They’re so good at proclaiming to adversity that they will embrace it all. The hands of those humans are not empty though. They hold a sharpened knife to the back of adversity’s neck ready for a slip up. The shadowed face of adversity will intimidate those who don’t know what is silhouetted. Not until you tilt its chin and look it in the face will you see all its beauty. But they, they choose to look away.

That night it was only us in the office, we all stood around our desk speechless. We’ve failed Mrs. Miller and David, who depended on us. You were ashamed. It was silent, no one had the audacity to say anything. When Mr. Kim returned to the office he locked himself away in his office not bothering to acknowledge us. You wanted to go in there and comfort him, but you couldn’t do that. He wasn’t going to let you in. Mr. Kim slammed his office door open then shut and rushed pass all our desk to the conference table. He went to the white board behind it and pulled the cap off one of the dry erase markers and began writing. Everyone exchanging looks and gathered around the table. You took a seat, and everyone jumped back when he slammed a tapped photograph onto the center of the whiteboard. He finally turned around with a crooked smile, he was up to something. “This! This is our key that we missed! A friend pulled through and we’re going to do an appeal.” Everyone was studying the photograph. It was one of the mothers of the rich kids sitting at a café with the judge! It was the same woman with the witch smile at court today! Your somber expressions turned into the same menacing smile as Taehyung’s. Key was the first to speak, “Bingo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 01/24/2018: [The Firefly that Guards the Fox 4](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/170074183278/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-4)


	5. Chapter 5

It was getting late it was already past midnight the last time you checked. The ticking of the clock filled the otherwise empty room. Everyone was forcing themselves carry on the spontaneous meeting coming up with more solutions. Even yourself, you could feel the heaviness of your lids wanting to succumb to seduction of sleep. You took the initiative to call it quits when the lull between statements were counted by the ticking clock like metronome a few beats too long. You stood up knocking on the table waking up everyone, “we won’t be able to file for an appeal soon and we can’t introduce any more evidence on the case. If there is some corruption going on behind closed doors we’re going to have to dig a bit, but we need energy first. Mr. Kim can call his intel on Monday for any more clues. I think we should call it the night and come back well rested. How about that?” Krystal was the first to stand stretching out her limbs, “I couldn’t agree more with you, good night everyone.” Mrs. Lee collected all the extra files laying around the tables and nearby desk walking away to put them safely back in a locked cabinet. Key stood up pulling out his phone, “I need to call a driver. I’m too tired to drive.” Krystal, Key, and Mrs. Lee waved the team off biding a good night, so you turned to the last person who was still studying the photo.

Mr. Kim stood up with his eyes brimming over his glasses at you, “Mrs. Y/L/N please bring a coffee to my office before you leave.” The plastic chair raked against the carpet as he shoved in his chair back in place he turned to hall leading to his office scratching his stubbly chin. Without much thought, you followed your momentum unconsciously fisting the back of his slightly damp blazer abruptly stopping him from going any further. A huff of strain escaped him causing him to turn awkwardly around to face your pleading expression. First of all, you thought you graduated out of the intern phase, but he still asked you to do the things Krystal was supposed to. At this point there should be a trench in the office for how many times you’re going and forth between the work room to his office. You’ve worked your butt off proving myself capable of handling cases, not to prepare coffee after almost two months. It was too late though, you weren’t in the mood to proof in your anger. That was for another time.

With a heavy sigh, “Mr. Kim, please, go home. You haven’t gotten much sleep. I’m sure it would be more comfortable to fall asleep on a bed than a desk.” He readjusted his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose, “I won’t go home Ms. Y/L/N. I’m not only working on this case– you wouldn’t understand.” He didn’t pull away from you though even when your grip loosened on his blazer. Patience, patience, patience. “Sir, I completely understand the hardship of work. You’re not a work mule, go home.” You grit your teeth looking past his insult and displacing the blame of his rudeness on his exhaustion. Every reaction illicit a response with a reason; nothing is never truly meaningless. If you’ve taken one life lesson away from your brother it’s practicing patience. “Taehyu—Mr. Kim, look. I’m not here to tell you what to do, but as a colleague advice you’re running yourself to the ground.” The softness of your tone wrapped around him like a lullaby like a siren cooing to come to paradise. Your touch was so comforting. It felt like warm honey waving outwards from the epicenter throughout his whole body. You touched his blazer, not even his skin, but it still felt like sunshine to him. The control you had over him was witchcraft, that the only way he could justify it. The only way he could justify reaching out to you so often. Having you near to cleanse the air when he was too deep in his clouded angst. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to justify your proposition. His normally stern eyes were drooping and his tail was lifeless not having any energy to move. It honestly made you sad to see Tae so stressed. The old Tae may not be here with you, but you still cared for this Tae. “I can call a driver for you Mr. Kim?” His eyes worked rapidly shifting left and right seemingly having an internal battle weighting out the pros and cons, but in the end a small whimper left him in defeat. His body was still tense, but it didn’t read hostility. It surprised you how vulnerable he was being, it wasn’t usual to see him without his gruff attitude. He seemed to even lean into your touch earlier, but you may have mistaken it for him swaying about in exhaustion. Through a clearing of his throat, “no need Y/L/N. I can get home fine by myself… good night.” He stuffed his hands in his slacks pocket shuffling back and forth on his feet for a moment, but when nothing else was said he rounded you walking out the work room disappearing around the corner. All the busses stopped running for the night, so you had no choice to stay back at the office. You tidied up a bit and then folded up your blazer into a make shift pillow placing it on your desk. You scooted the chair back enough and plopped your head to the side onto your pillow closing your eyes finally answering the call to sleep. The low hum of the air conditioner was soothing white noise blocking out the busy streets below. The building was a bit old, so it wasn’t completely sound proofed from the outside world.

He stepped into the elevator rolling his head side to side to massage away the stiffness of hunching over for so long. He was exhausted to the bone, but there was this overwhelming restlessness itching his limbs. It made him even more restless in the silent lull as the elevator descended to the parking garage. He was left with his conscious mocking him about how carless he was being with you. He never gets like this with anyone. Even the harsh words he spat at you stung him because he knew—he knew how hard working you were. He knew exactly how capable you were. The guilt was eating him away faster than tiredness was. He walked out of the elevator rapidly shaking his hands through his greasy hair in frustration. He made his way over to his car pressing the unlock button yanking the driver door open and slumping into his seat. He pressed the ignition button and the M5 purred to life. He stared at the concrete wall from his windshield blinking slowly in thought. His hand went to dig in his pocket for it his phone, but it wasn’t there. He reached over to the passenger seat for his briefcase, but it was missing in action. He slumped forward against the rim of the steering wheel letting his forehead lightly beat against it in a growl to himself. How could he be so stupid to forget his stuff? He was so distracted by you that he just walked out. His stomach started growling along with him reminding him of another thing he’s been neglecting. Pushing the ignition button off harder than necessary, he grabs his keys and stuffs them back into his pants. Approaching the elevator, he repeatedly pressed the up button despite knowing it won’t make it arrive any faster. The elevator takes him up to the still dimly lit office. Did you forget to turn off the lights? He approached the end of the work room to find you softly breathing into the makeshift pillow on your desk. Guilt was at a roaring boiling in his stomach seeing that you were sleeping on your desk. Didn’t you want to go home?

Against his persona to act cold towards his employees, he forgets Mr. Kim for a moment and acts as Taehyung. He reaches out to you to gently shake your shoulder earning a cute whine of protest. He keeps shoving at you growing impatient when you stay put, but abruptly steps away when you raise yourself to a slouched sitting position. It hasn’t been that long since you’ve fallen asleep, but your body was already shut down from exhaustion. Your half open eyes dilate to completely blown out when you noticed a slightly flushed Taehyung standing before you. Wobbly standing up, “Is everything alright Mr. Kim?” He leaves you unanswered and you follow his steps with your eyes as he walks towards this office and coming back out soon after. In his right hand was his briefcase and he was checking his phone with his left. Quietly humming ohhh you seat yourself again readjusting your pillow into a perfect rectangle again. The tension is awkward, and he walks past you without further acknowledgement until he stops near your desk and looks over his shoulder. His tail is wagging anxiously, “Would you—would you,” Taehyung cleared his throat of non-existent phlegm, “like to join me for a drink?” His mouth felt a bit dry so instead of replying verbally he nodded shyly flattening his ears against his slightly greasy hair. He’s ran his hand through his hair too many times today. It was odd seeing him so nervous, but he looked so cute that it was hard to refuse. The hesitation he sensed from you made him want to pull back the question, your heart was beating so loud he could hear it. “O—okay. I’ll go with you.” His tail went from stiff to swishing back and forth at a blurring speed. “There’s a food stall right outside the office, we could go there?” He suggested with a more lighter tone than he was using earlier. Suspiciously eyeing his flip of switch kindness, “sure, yeah, um, let me grab my purse and we can go,” pointing your thumb aimlessly over your shoulder.

He nodded waiting for you to pick up your stuff and slip on your jacket to trail behind to the elevator. He was already in the elevator holding the doors open for you, so you slipped in next to him readjusting your purse. It was silent except for the dings of the floor marker changing. You weren’t sure how to bridge the silence into a natural conversation. Normally you’d be able to imitate conversation with anyone about anything, but you didn’t know how to speak to him as Taehyung not Mr. Kim. “Umm… do you go there often…to ?” Thoughtfully responding, “ I used to but I haven’t been there in a while, but” a pause and a smile broke out quietly leaving into his thoughts. Out of curiosity you asked slightly giggling at how cute he was being, “what? What’s with the smile?” You couldn’t help it, you smiled along with his infectious grin. It was so contagious. He turned to you, “the last time I was there was when Jungkook made it into the police force. The group all got together for the first time in a long time…” He stopped talking after a bit trailing off into his thoughts again. It was unique watching the collected fox turn into mush talking about his friends. They were something he could always brag about. You couldn’t look at him anymore the direction of your lips changing the doors opened up saving you. You followed him out the building and down the street before he could notice.

The stand was small but there were two empty seats at one of the plastic tables. An older woman approached the two of you as soon as you sat down, “Tae! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! Oh, you brought your girlfriend too!” You choked a bit on air holding your hands up in protest waving them back in forth the woman in your silent plea to her. She blushes violently, “oh, I’m so sorry. Excuse a silly, old woman like me. What can I get you guys tonight?” Taehyung seemed unshaken by the old woman’s comment, maybe he’s brought other women here before? “Can we get four bottles and any side dishes you have left?” She nodded along writing down his order on her note pad and went back to the makeshift counter. He turned to you and his nostrils flared smelling the air, “what’s wrong Y/L/N?” You held your breath tucking in your arms more to whisk away the anxious stench that you must’ve been emitting. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m fine,” changing the subject, “do you know think that the judge—.” Taehyung stopped you raising his hand up but the waitress interrupted setting the four bottles of alcohol and two serving of whatever side dishes were available. She popped the lid off two beers letting the aluminum caps fall to the sidewalk placing one in front of you then Taehyung. You lightly bowed out of respect and verbally thanked her taking a small sip from your beer. It was hard concealing the twinge and twitch of your eyes from the bitter barley taste. Taehyung chugged half the bottle back in one go and releasing the mouth with a loud ahhh.

It was silent for a bit, just lingering in eachothers presence. Should I try again, or let him open up on his own? Where do I draw the line? Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, “Y/L/N, please, let’s save work for working hours tonight. Relax a bit,” nodding slowly you trilled your lips loosening up only a bit. He was completely in the right, you wanted to forget today too. You broke the silence again with the first thing that came to mind, “so Mr. Kim, the national University huh,” twirling your beer,” was it as grand as they made it out to be?” A pure, high pitch laugh range through your ears sending goosebumps along your skin. It sounded just like the Tae you knew, he was here with you. The laugh may have lasted longer than necessary, but you were sure he wasn’t all too sober either. Hybrids can’t handle alcohol too well since their organs share some characteristics with their animal parts. Forcing a smile from ear to ear you leaned into the table placing your head into one angled hand taking in the breaking mask of Mr. Kim. You patiently waited for his answer watching his eyes scrunch into fine lines from laughing so hard. He wiped salty tears out of his eyes from laughing so hard, even having to catch his breath for a moment. He took another chug of his beer and with glazed over eyes, “grand? That’s what the people say,” taking a second to gather his thoughts, “I honestly sped through college, so I can’t say I got the experience most college kids would get. It wasn’t about enjoying the experience but finishing it as soon as possible.” Pursing your lips together you nodded looking off to the passing traffic, for you as well college wasn’t fun. It was a place that you just wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible. You licked your lips cautiously gauging a proper response. On the same tangent he continued after taking a gulp from his second beer, “when I first started working towards becoming a lawyer, no company would hire me,” somberly staring directly at you, “they didn’t think that a hybrid could be educated enough or—or,” raising his voice,” have the logic enough to think on a human level!” Taehyung unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt yanking them out of their eyelet exposing his reddening neck to you. A flame within him came to life from the memories. Taehyung picked up his beer again and with the same hand lifted two fingers up pointing at you during his speech, “they said I couldn’t do it! They—” he took more long sips from his already half empty second bottle. You wanted to stop him, but the pain in his voice stung and it didn’t feel right stopping him. He slumped his head against the table with a hearty thump, “Y/N, do yahhh know how…how hard it was? How hard it is…” his words trailed off as he seethed air through his teeth into inaudible mumbles of a non-linguistic language. Who would’ve known that that laugh you loved would break your heart, leaving it in irregular pieces. The one soft, genuine laugh turned into someone so bitter. He raised his head starting from the base of his neck to swing his head up to really investigate your eyes with his watery ones. He’s meet a million and one liars on this planet, but only a handful of people were genuinely honest.

Taehyung saw it in your eyes the day he hired you and it hasn’t changed a bit since. That honest look you gave him was unmistakable. Real eyes make you realize the real lies. The glimmer of the city lights in your eyes and the occasional highlight of the passing car hypnotized him. The heroine of his dreams and the woman who he was desperate to not let in left him conflicting. Why did he want open up to you? Why did it feel like whenever you were around he relaxed? You understood him. He ruffled his hair with a groan trying to dispel the angelic imagine he had of you. Professional, Taehyung, Professional! His heat wasn’t anytime soon, so why did you look so tantalizing? The collar of Taehyung’s shirt suddenly was pulled back when a large frame man, who was clearly very drunk, yanked him off his chair. The man came out of nowhere, so you just watched the whole thing unfold. The man twisted Tae around to face him, but the man’s eyes couldn’t focus continuously blinking something out of his eye, “you! You’re that hybrid lawyer! Why were you picking on the humans huh? Do you think you’re better than,“ hiccup, “us!” Taehyung grabbed the man’s hands and pushed him off out of the guys grasp, “you don’t HAVE any idea of the truth! The truth is..” He was stumbling on his own feet, not able to stand up straight. This has gone on long enough, so you stood up throwing your purse over your shoulder leaving enough money down to pay the auntie. Drunk people. You pulled Taehyung away from the brute, standing in between the two speaking to Taehyung, “Taehyung, it’s not worth it. I’ll take you home okay?” The aggressor started pushing you from the back falling over directly into Tae’s chest. He wrapped his arms tight around you releasing an angry, protective growl. He turned to the side let you go lunging at the man, but you stopped him mid-lunge hugging him tight. “Tae, no! Please, no, no,” finally some bystanders stepped in to hold the other guy back. They seemed to be his friends and dragged him away out of the stall, so you turned to the auntie apologizing for being a nuisance. You picked up Tae’s stuff and grabbed his hand leading him back to the office.

Your heart squeezed tight when he clutched your hand tight leaning into you. He was getting sloppy with his steps, so you took a more stable measure of draping his arm over your shoulder. “Tae, I need you to give me your car keys okay?” He grumbled things about how he would’ve beat that guy up and showed him what a real man is. You had to tap his cheeks a little to get his attention, “hey, hey, over here,” snapping your fingers in his face, “Tae, give me your keys.” He wouldn’t remember you calling him that anyway, but with the name he became more responsive. He fished in his pocket digging really deep in his shallow pockets to pull out his car keys. You got your license years ago, but never had the money to buy a car. It was just more efficient to take the bus in the city anyways. You sloppily zig zagged your way to the parking garage and tested the unlock key button randomly to see which car was his. A black BMW beeped, and you readjusted Tae on your shoulder to open the passenger door with great difficulty. The guy seemed thin, but he was taller than you and apparently heavier. He was dead weight leaning on you making placing him in smoothly into his seat a job for the gods. You tossed in his briefcase and then picking up the groaning fox leaning on the car. You reclined him in slowly making sure he didn’t hit his head on the roof of the car letting him plop into the seat. He was scrunching up his face making whining noises adjusting himself. You closed the door and rounded the car to the driver’s side. This car was so nice, you had to drive extra safe, no way in your lifetime would you be able to pay off the damages if you got in an accident. You leaned over to him trying to fish for his wallet, but he curled in on himself. Sighing in exhaustion, “Tae, tell me your address. I’ll drive you home.” He didn’t respond to you on the center console there was a monitor with a GPS, maybe he saved his address? You searched through the history record and found the icon saved as home. You selected it and began driving towards the destination.

The neighborhood you ended up in was nice, it was in the upper middle-class side of the city. The type of district where you can trust your kid to walk alone and not go missing. You looked for the apartment that was the read on the GPS monitor. The streets were well paved, all signs were as they were originally without graffiti, and no trash hugged the curbside. It sure was different than your rooftop spot. It was a modern, twenty floor building that very looked well taken care of. You can see why Tae would pick this area to live in. You parked in a spot outside in the attached parking lot with the numbers 1040 painted white on the asphalt. Taehyung fell asleep somewhere along the ride curled up on the door. The soft rise and fall of his chest and the occasional twitch of his ear was possibly the cutest things you’ve ever seen. You sat there in the silent car with the crickets chirping in the background. You weren’t going to see his innocent face again, so you took advantage of the softness he was showing you. After a moment you started calling to him, but he remained motionless somewhere off in a dream. This was becoming more than you signed up for, definitely more than sharing a drink. You left the comfortable driver seat to open the passenger door. The door was cracked open slightly since the fox leaned against it so you snuck a hand in to prop him with then fully open the door. The alcoholic smell from his breath hit you straight on it was a big contrast from the night air. If humans could smell it this intensely, how bad was it for hybrids. You took his briefcase out from under his feet and unzipped it to put his phone and wallet in. Standing back up you took off your blazer to tie it around your waist. Your purse was slung over your chest with the briefcase in your hands.

You unbuckled him, but he refused to move even after about ten coaxing. As a last resort you started petting his soft ears and cooing, “Tae Tae, wake up. Wake up, Tae Tae let’s go inside,” he lazily opened his half-lidded eyes looking around. Sleepily rubbing his eyes, “where are we?” “We’re home Tae Tae,” he smiled at you with a sweetly extending his arms out to you with a pout on his lips whining for you to pick him up. It was hard to be upset at a face like that. At this point you kind of wished the cold Taehyung was back. You stared for a second not completely sure how you were going to pick up a full-grown man, you grab his arms easing him out of his seat. You twisted another way to bring his arm over your shoulder, but he stumbled out of your grasp. With a noise of strain gurgling out of your throat at the sudden tug you repeated, “no, no, no, come back! Not today buddy.” Right before he kissed the asphalt you pulled him back up draping his frame over you. Fate was being cruel tonight putting you this close to Tae, you could feel his heartbeat pounding on your shoulder. He fell into you leaning all his weight into you, but you pleaded, “Tae Tae help me out here okay?” He nodded into your shoulder and righted himself up the best he could. You locked the car and tucked the keys back into his briefcase. As best as you could you lead him into the buildings entrance avoiding any obstacles. You push through the glass door with your foot to not chance letting go of the fox. A security guard roamed around the lobby to assure no one bothers the tenants. He raises his eyebrow approaching you finally recognizing the man draped on you, “Mr. Kim? I haven’t seen you in so long! Is everything alright? Do you need help miss?” You answer for the drunk fox, “Hello, yes, everything is alright. He’s just had a long day,” with a gruff tone in your voice,” no it would be too much trouble to shift him. Thank you though.” He hasn’t been home in a long time? We have been working late nights these past weeks, I can see why the security guard would be surprised to see him. The guard directed you towards the elevators around the corner. He even pressing the up button of the elevator for you and the tenth floor when the doors opened. Before the door closed you thanked him again and the he returned the gesture with a kind smile waving you off.

Taehyung was leaning into you pushing you up against the wall of the elevator wrapping his arms around you tightly. You stiffened with the suggestive intimate actions and affection. With your experience working with hybrids before, this was only done by mates or lovers. No, no, this was just his drunk self tapping into his feral side making sure you weren’t a threat, right? He nuzzled into your neck taking audible inhales of your scent, “mmm–vixen, you smell so good. I like it a lot.” A rumbling purr left his chest as he relished in your scent. This was too intimate, so you turned your head away from his. Your heart squeezed pulling your lungs with it. This was drunk gibberish, only that. The reflective chrome of the elevators walls gave you a look at yourself for the first time tonight. You were flushed red hair flaying everywhere out of your ponytail and face glossy from sweat. Talk about attractive, you had no idea what Taehyung was talking about. In the mirror you were able to watch him lick his lips dipping his head down again poking out his tongue to sample your skin. His tongue was warm against your cold skin the contact made you yip trying to pull away. Closing his eyes, the hand around your hips tightened in approval with a hum. He cupped the back of your thigh suddenly draping your leg around him settling himself comfortably in between your legs. He started at your exposed collarbones licking all the way up to the lobe of your ears. His hips were suggestively grinding into your core. You could feel the outline of his member on you just asking for release. It sent shivers up your spine releasing a small moan when he grinded just right. “Ugh Tae, stop—stop, you don’t really want to do this you’re drunk,” you tried pushing him off reaching out to grasp for a strand of reason, but he wouldn’t budge. His grip was gentle rubbing circles on your thigh. It was getting harder to convince yourself to make him stop, but you had to stop him. This was wrong. This was wrong. This was so wrong. He liked the sounds coming from you when his tail started swishing back and forth faster smelling your arousal. The fox continued to rub his chin all over you purring and chuffing lowly in his throat, “God vixen, you’re so pretty… and patient. Why do you put up with me, huh? I really can’t,” pausing to lick again,” keep my mind off you.” Wait he thinks of you? Oh, he’s lost his mind. Before you could answer back the elevator arrived at the tenth floor and luckily the door opened to an empty hallway. His grip lessened on you taking his head out of your neck with the sound of the ding indicating your arrival. Against the throb in your lower region and heart you shoved Tae off you and out of the elevator. You needed to distance yourself to steady your shaky heart and breathing. Tae groaned and held his head in his hands for some stability his eyes losing focus. It was all moving too fast too much around him.

His home was apartment 1040, four doors to the left. It was close, but maybe a field away distance with a drunk fox. At least one of his roommates had to be home by now considering it was around two a.m. You texted Jungkook before you took off from the office with little explanation earlier letting him know you were bringing Tae home. A small bubble of guilt bubbled in your throat for waking anyone up, but you need to make sure Taehyung was going to be taken care of. Approaching him cautiously you attempted to coax him to walk on his own, but Taehyung was fussing and squirming about against the wall in protest. He slipped out your grasp refusing to walk any further by slouched up against the wall like a child. How could someone a second ago want to take you on like a man become a child in a mere second? “Everything is so dizzy Y/N. I can’t walk anymoooooore,” he whined while rubbing his redden eyes. You just stared at the puddle of a fox scratching your head; how were you supposed to carry this lump to his door? You crouched down with your back facing him and hesitantly told him to get on. Taehyung looked at your back and stared at it for a minute not quiet believing this woman wanted to carry him. “Just leave me here!” At least that what you made from his slur of connective words. You got impatient waiting and grabbed his arms draping it over your front hoisting him onto your back. With a bit of a push from you Tae gladly leaped onto your back imitating an octopus linking all his limbs around you. Your thighs were quaking from the sudden weight and after a few attempts you successfully you thrusted upwards into a hunched position. You had to take a few seconds to regain stability.

“Left, right, left, right” you mumbled to yourself trudging towards the door that seemed to glow with salvation. You knocked on the door with Taehyung snuggling further into you smelling your hair. “Tae, stop!” He didn’t listen though, his nose just rubbed harder in to your head like he was blowing a raspberry. The door opened a few moments later when you heard the sliding of the locks unlatching and then the clinking of metals unlocking the door. The door creaked open slowly but through the curtain of hair covering your face a figure appeared through the crack. You didn’t expect a woman behind the door, didn’t he live with all men? “I’m sorry I must’ve gotten—,” she interrupted your speech, “Tae? Taehyung?” You peered through your hair to the blurry image of a older woman that had salt and pepper hair…with ears on her head? Wait a second…ears? It hit you, this must be his mother! This time around you couldn’t control it, tears were brimming hot in your eyes. It was mom. Mom! “Please, please come in and set him down. I’m so sorry for his behavior,” she called to you opening the door wider for the both of you.

Following her shuffles towards what you assumed was the living room you waddled into the apartment. You were glad that you were in this hunched position because the tears were now close to breeching. When the couch came into view your pace picked up and you plopped him down sloppier than intended, but the strength in your limbs were leaving fast. You carelessly slumped to the floor next to the couch in exhaustion. You remained seated on the floor stabilizing yourself clearing your eyes by blinking away the tears with your shaky hands from the adrenaline. She seemed too absorb in her son’s condition to notice your presence, so you stood up quietly picking up your purse making your way back to the front door. Pain is intellectual, it taught me before the treason of trusting and loving someone can be cruel fate. This time you were going to walk away before they could leave you. In a twisted way you already missed his warmth, the way he clung to you with sweet confessions. It was a promise dressed in wool, but you knew better that it was a predator waiting underneath. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…well we know how that ends. “Excuse me miss, wait,” she called after you stepping away from her son towards the entryway. You wanted to run, but your feet were glued to the floorboards. Why wasn’t your heart listening to your mind when you needed it the most? You didn’t turn around but remained still clutching your shirt with a pulsing grip. You couldn’t do it the tears were a threat now. Your breathing was coming out short through your nose, almost hyperventilating. You tried wiping them away as fast as you could, but they kept flowing even when you heard her footsteps approaching. A careful hand was placed on your arm turning you to face her, but you didn’t budge hanging your head low. “Why are you crying dear? Did Tae hurt you?” You shook your head in disagreement your shoulders were heaving from holding back your voice.

Against your better judgment you lifted your head to finally look at her when she kept yanking your arm. You spun around in her grasp when she firmly held you to face her properly. She looked as beautiful as you remember, even with her gray hair. Her hybrid features still radiated their brilliant orange, the true fiery woman you always knew. The mother you always wanted stared back at you with her worried expression. She was silent looking into your redden eyes taking cautious steps closer to you. Her tail was stiff and her ears twitching in curiosity at the stranger before her. The air was a cloud of electrical tension from her inquisitive pace. She lifted her rough hands to caress your check stroking where your tears once flowed, “tell me love…what is your name?” You clasped your shaking hands together fidgeting with your thumb nails clicking against eachother leaving her unanswered. “What’s your name?” Her tone didn’t waver, she willing to be patient. The soft snoring filled the air from the drunk fox sounding off the walls. If he was too drunk to hear maybe you could do this? You opened your mouth to close it again, but with one more deep breath you found the courage to speak, “Y….,” you squinted to away more tears, “Y/N ma’am.”

She stilled her soothing touch on your cheek stepping farther back. Her steps were unsteady, but her gaze was stern. The woman trailed around you circling you once taking you fully in. She stopped in front of you her eyes practically bulged out of her skull dilated to its full extent. She paced up to you again her hand began stroking your face tracing the curve of your jaw, but her eyes didn’t change. As if she didn’t hear you right the first time, “What-what’s your name dear?” You gulped back the building saliva in your mouth, “Y-Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N ma’am,” but your gaze never deterred. The anvil dropped, the weight of your name sinking in. The most endearing smile illuminated from her lips like the sun just rose. She took both hands to your face squeezing tight touching it repeatedly to see if it was truly you and in a broken voice, “Y/N,Y/N, Y/N—oh Y/N! It really is you! It—it really is! You’ve grown up so much! Who is this beautiful woman standing in front of me!” She let go of your face and brought you into a rib crushing hug. You embrace her tightly back, it felt like coming back home. The need to run dissipated instantly, you were willing to be fooled again. As if realization hit her she pulled away but still holding you, “why are you with Tae? What’s going on Y/N? Why didn’t he tell me about you?”

You pulled back out of her embrace and bowed to her in your deepest request to explain yourself. Shame, guilt, remorse, all emotions you’ve kept inside were spilling out in this single action. “Please, Mom. Let me explain, I—,” she got down to your level and picked up your chin to look directly at her, “don’t you ever lower yourself honey. I will always be here for you no matter what, so tell me everything. I’ll always understand you.” The stern tone in her voice dropped at the end reminded you of the Tae you normally saw in the office. The shame you once held dear was slipping in between your fingers. The words you so desperately needed, laced with courage and love, picked you off the floor. The floor no longer felt comfortable when her outstretched hand was telling you everything was going to be okay. She led you to the dinning table and sat directly next to you cradling your hands waiting patiently for an explanation. You turned to look over to the troublesome fox on the couch and smiled. His mother could see it, she could see the softness in your eyes as you looked at Tae. You turned back to Mom with a soft hum tone, “I didn’t know. I truly didn’t know it was his office. I—I’ve had a dream to become a lawyer to protect hybrids like you Mom… and Tae,” you rubbed the hand placed on top of yours. She smiled but tilted her head and with a scrunched expression, “that still doesn’t tell me everything though, why didn’t he tell me about you?” She urged you to continue, “Um, well… he doesn’t know who I am,” gulping, “ he knows my name, but that’s it. It doesn’t ring a bell. He can’t remember me, the girl from the countryside. Honestly, I don’t want to ruin the image he once had either,” a sad smile laced your lips. The pain was tangible now that it was out in the open leaving yourself to be judged freely. “But…,” your voice was cracking, “but that’s okay Mom, I don’t need him to. I’m living well and following my dream and that’s all that matters, “tilting your head with tears streaming down your face again, “right?”

She looked down at your intertwined hands and squeezed it tighter with her own tears escaping landing on your clasped hands. “Mom, please don’t cry!” You wiped away her tears; there’s a few things in this world you couldn’t stand, and one was Mom crying. She spoke softly, “Y/N, take it from an old woman like me. It takes a lot to be understood. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know, it can be your greatest strength. I’m sorry for leaving all those years ago, and I’m sure Tae feel the same. It broke our hearts, but don’t live in the past… it’s already grown dark there. I’m sure Taehyung will be excited to find out who you are! You’re a wonderful person, my love,” a pause, “since his father…went missing… he hasn’t been the same. I mean the real Tae is still there, but it’s not Tae at the same time. I think if you came back into his life it would give him strength again.” You turned to follow her line of sight to the now squirming fox who was tugging at his clothing. “Mom, I want to—will tell him when it’s… right. I work as his employee in his legal team I can’t pass this opportunity up, I’m not strong enough to become someone’s strength,” pulling the best puppy eyes you could, “please understand just—this once Mom.” A pout erupted on her face letting go of your hands to fold them across her chest, “don’t make an old woman wait too long to see you.” The look she was giving you was she wasn’t fully convinced of your promise, but you held one finger up maintaining your eyes. She finally caved after a while, “okay,” giving you a coy smile, “only if you come to visit me often will I keep the promise. I’ve missed you after all.” With a bit of a laugh you nodded excitedly, “of course Mom! I missed you too!”

The soft atmosphere was cut when Taehyung started dry heaving like he was about to throw up. Quickly thinking you got up and titled him to the side just in case he was going to throw up. Mom came up behind you to take over, but you stopped her, “I’ll take him to a room and I’ll let you take care of the rest Mom. I should go home.” She went to open the guest bedroom door and cleared off the unused bed, and you came with Taehyung in tow soon after. You readjusted his form and shifted his tail so it wouldn’t get squished, but he pulled you down with him. A hot blush covered you, but you were able to push away from his weak grasp. You sat up on the bed and glanced at the side table it had a picture frame. Upon closer inspection it was a photo of the four of you as kids, but it was badly water damaged ruining some of the faces. Tracing a finger over the face of the small kit and lab suddenly brought a new wave of sadness. You turned to Mom who was pulling a blanket out of the closet and immediately went to help bring it down. Shaking out the dust you let it float down over Tae covering him enough. You walked out of the room and picked up your purse of the floor turning towards his mother already at the entrance. She squished you in another tight hug pulling back, “here take this. Take a taxi home, it too late at night.” You opened your fist to find a bundle of bills and with a mouth agape you handed it back. “Oh no, no, no. I can’t—I can’t take this from you Mom.” She narrowed her eyes, “don’t you give that back to me! Tae gives me money and I never know what to do with it,” she slips you a piece of paper with her number written on it,” Take it! I need to know you’ll get home safe. Call me whenever too.” God, you’ve cried enough tonight, and you were sure you looked like a mess, but you couldn’t help it. You squeezed her tight, “thanks Mom. I’ll call you soon,” and with that you were gone.

The darkness was slowly fading welcoming him into this new warmth. Softness tickled his nose and in slow movement he raised his arms up out of the security of the fleece fabric enrapturing him. The crack of his limbs echoed through the nearly empty room as he stretched. He slowed in his extension when the throbbing in his head pulsed through him. He felt around the bed feeling the spot next to him and it cold like always, but the way the sheets moved under his fingers was unfamiliar. His eyes opened sleepily but his hands now moved rapidly over the sheets, then over himself to check his person. Pulling back the blanket he noted his button up was open fully exposing his torso, and that his boxer briefs were the only thing covering his lower half. It didn’t smell like his apartment, it was somewhere unfamiliar. He felt around for his phone, but it wasn’t connected to the charge next to the side table. He finally opened both eyes to take in the white ceiling and blinding light from the window. This was not his room. When did he get undressed? God, the scent all over the room was overwhelming it only made things spin faster. There was a strong mixed scent coming from his shirt. He brought the collar of his shirt up to his nose for inspection but yanked it away as soon as he got a whiff. The strong scent of alcohol hit him like a ton of bricks. He ripped the shirt off him and threw it across the bed in disgust. When the smell of alcohol diluted enough a sweet after taste of a feminine scent hit. A woman’s scent? He grabbed the fabric again at the edge of the bed and brought it up to his nose for another taste. He took a deeper inhale of the scent, but still the fresh scent of laundry and something naturally human didn’t ring a bell. It was like he was getting drunk again, it was so intoxicatingly sweet. He leaned down to smell the empty side of the bed and pillows, but it just smelled like stale air. He looked around the floor of the room, but there weren’t female garments either just his pants and blazer. What happened last night?

He slung his legs over the bed and fished for his pants somewhere in the blanket. He smelled the savory scent of breakfast and instantly he knew where he was. He was back home. Everything about his outfit was haphazardly arranged, as he stood up slipping on his pants then buttoning and tucking in his shirt. As per routine when he stayed at his Mom’s he looked at the side table taking in the familiar pictures and smiled, “Morning, Dad. Hey, Firefly.” He opened the door leading to the living room and found his mom at the stove cooking up something delicious. He sneaked behind her and gave her a tight back hug. He nuzzled in her, but she smacked him and he backed away pouting his lips at his mom. “Moooom!” She continued to smack him, “how could you come home like that! Why were you drinking last night?” Reaching out to hold onto the hem of her shirt tucking his ears in, “I lost a case..,” again pulling the sad look. She smacked him again though, “is that any way to behave though! I didn’t raise you to be sloppy like that boy!” He backed away rubbing his arm and sat at the island counter stools with his tail swishing behind him. He knew his mother could never be mad at him for long. “Tae, even though you lost you had a find a way to beat the odds,” she said in a tone all too familiar to him. She set down a plate full of breakfast in front of him and without much comment further they enjoyed their meal together. Taehyung took a shower and changed into some clothes he left behind rinsing himself that nasty alcoholic smell. His mom was reclined on the couch knitting while she watched her soap operas and Tae curled up next to her leaning his head on her shoulder. “How did I get home?” His mother set down her hooks and turned to Tae, “a nice, and pretty might I add, young woman took you home. Who was that hmm?” Tae scrunched his face up trying his hardest to remember the night before. He knew he was at the office and left but how did he end up drinking? Woman? He never went out anymore…his college days are different story… but he’s a changed man. It hit him again that feminine scent was on the couch too, but who did it belong to? His Mom just went back to her knitting, “I packed some left over for you to take. I packed an extra container, be sure to give it to her when you see her again soon.” He rose his eye brows almost to his hairline, “you packed her a food?” She just nodded nonchalantly. He’s never seen his mother act this way to any of his dates or girlfriends, she always hated them even before he got to know them. What made this woman so special? Not wanting to play twenty-one questions anymore he got up, “I’m going to go home Mom. I have work to do. I’ll be back soon.” He leaned down and kissed her on the check before taking his belongs and extras with him. No time for breaks, even if it was his day off.

Come Monday you don’t feel rested at all, the anxiety and anticipation of seeing Taehyung today was making you restless. What if his mom told him? Mom’s are never good at keeping things to themselves, eventually the neighborhood ends up finding out about your dirty secrets. The office was noisy for a change, you weren’t the first to make it into the office. The other rows of desk had workers running around like chickens with their head cut off. You stopped at the copy machines where a woman was impatiently copying documents, “everything alright?” She looked up at you with red eyes and obvious dark circles, “it’s all because of your boss. This company hasn’t had a loss in a long time, so the rest of us got pressured to win our cases.” She trails off mumbling something about how stupid competition is, but you duck your head down in apology. You continue to your desk avoiding anyone else from the other teams. Your team didn’t look that much different with a few empty coffee cups on Key’s desk and Mrs. Lee furiously typing away on her computer. “Good morning, everyone,” greeting in a cheerily voice you try but got grunts and grumbles in response. Instead of pushing it you sat down at your desk tucking your purse in its usual spot and went to work, but it was quickly interrupted when someone knocked on your desk. Peeling your eyes away from your desktop you were confronted by a wide chest that you had to travel up to meet the face of a masked man. The cap and mask he’s wearing covers up the majority of his features, but you recognize those doe eyes instantly. “Officer Je—,” he shushes you instantly, but casually leads on, “Jungkook is fine Y/N. I think we’re close enough for first names no?” Shrugging your shoulder, “If you consider sharing Ramen in a cell together best friendship, then I’m a 100% on board.” The laugh you shared was cut short when a fast-paced fox passed by announcing, “all of you my office now,” without stopping. You scooped up a note pad and pen following in everyone else. Mr. Kim placed down his briefcase and extra bags down behind his desk scooting in close once situated in his desk chair. There wasn’t enough seating for everyone, so you ended up standing off in the corner ready to take notes. The bunny finally removed his mask and hat getting comfortable standing next to you. Mr. Kim peered over at you two getting cozy and with stern eyes, “Jeon, introduce yourself,” cutting off a joke Jungkook was telling you. You had to cover your mouth to stifle your laughter. Key eyes you with his choppy brow raised his eyes full of question, but you bring up a finger to shush him. Jungkook step away from leaning on the wall and out for everyone to see him, “Hello, I’m Officer Jeon Jungkook a part of this city’s hybrid civil and criminal division. I’m good friends with Taehy–Mr. Kim.” Mr. Kim called attention back to him, “The photograph we received the other day was taken from someone in his team. The fact that he’s working with us needs to be kept under wraps. I’m trusting you guys to treat him as if he was a regular client coming in, not as an officer. We have eyes all over.” Key stops Mr. Kim’s tangent, “you think the source of all this it’s coming from some internal civil service?” Jungkook nodded, “there’s been some linking recently with business officials to the underground about hybrid trafficking.” Krystal steps in tapping her pen against her chin, “what does trafficking have to do with the Miller case?” Jungkook sat at the edge of Mr. Kim’s desk messing with a stapler, “the same judge that was preceding over the Miller case was caught with one of the main distributors of hybrids.” My eyes widen in realization and a deep unsettling feeling set in. From the beginning David was gambling in a losing game. Taehyung looked over at you, who was frowning lost in your own thoughts, and softened up a bit before turning back to the speaking bunny, “of course, we don’t have much proof yet since we haven’t caught any ring leaders. But with our investigations we know who is who and their alias. We’ve been encountering a lot of locations that may be where the hybrids are trafficked, but nothing is coming up yet.” Finally speaking up, “have you monitored them from up close? Like go to places they hang out at to mingle yourself in?” Jungkook turned to you putting down the stapler, “What?” You stepped away from the wall tucking your note pad under your arm, “as cliché as it is, doesn’t the bad guys always hang out at clubs or strip clubs? You know those places that are meant to be controlled chaos? I mean the judge is an old guy, wouldn’t he want to be around young women and be pampered in return for protecting the dirty scum? The always have interactions amongst the crowd because everyone’s too drunk to notice. Shouldn’t we be investigating there if the judge visits there to strike deals?” As if he was just hit by lightening Jungkook stood straight up and picked you up twirling you around, “that’s it! That’s what we’ve been missing!” Mr. Kim stood up, “Jungkook, put her down,” he seethed between his teeth to which the bunny put you down with his ears flat against his head from the scolding. It was a bit disorienting being spun around so early in the morning. Jungkook turned to everyone, “so far, we’ve only had linked information of hybrid dealers meeting together on a political basis. Like judges going to mayor’s offices and then business owner’s offices. It’s been kept very business-like, so we didn’t think they did any exchange in the publics eyes, “with fingers quoting and unquoting,” especially some important office holders at some grimy club.” Krystal stood up flipping hair off her shoulder, “I know the clubs downtown pretty well and I know exactly which club would do that kind of dirty work.” She turned to you, “if we’re going undercover, you,” she pointed you up and down, “got to find something instead of your regular grandma wear.” You looked down at yourself, you didn’t think you looked that bad. Mrs. Lee smacked Krystal’s arm scolding her poor choice of words. Mr. Kim cut in, “who said you’re going undercover?” Krystal picked up her notepad and pen soothing her arm, “look, Mr. Kim, it’s settled. You’re going to need me. We’ll go tomorrow, that’ll be the perfect time since it’s midweek and the monsters come out to play.” She walked out of the office without any further addressing. That girl can be cold and rude, but her confidence was something you had to tip your hat to. Mr. Kim turned to the rest of us, “Jeon, let your friends know and set up for tomorrow. We’ll find out who really this judge is,” resting his head on his folded propped hands. Jungkook nodded once in acknowledgement and put his mask and cap back on before he turned to you, “we’ll see eachother very soon, best friend.” You held up a hand offering a small wave and smile before the bunny mingled with the rest exiting.

You scribbled down one last note on your pad as you walked to the door, but your name was called by the fox. You looked over your shoulder back at the fox and held your breath when the light hit his face just the right way. He looked effortlessly handsome. It drew back the memories of last Friday, the holding of hands, his embraces, and even the uncalled for lick. It made you shudder remembering his hot tongue on your neck. Mr. Kim offered you a seat wordlessly, but he still leaned on the desk next to the seat you took. Biting your lip, you prepared for the worst that he could possible tell you. He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat moving back to sit on his chair behind his desk. Your heart was racing fast, did he know who you were? Did she finally tell him, that’s why he was acting so awkward? He leaned down to pick up a canvas tote bag and set it in between you both. You didn’t understand, “Sir, what is this?” He pushed it towards you, “take it,” keeping it short. You peered over the bag to look at the fox making sure he wasn’t joking, but his face was unchanging. You pulled it to your lap and took out the Tupperware full of food. Your eyes lit up like fireworks on July at the delicious food, but then it hit, “do you want me to heat some of these up for you to eat?” A blush covered his face, “no Ms. Y/L/N. It’s a gift…. from my mother. She wants you to have it as a thank you.” Like a goldfish your mouth opened up and closed again in shock, “I’m sorry for the way I behaved that night. It was out of character and unprofessional. It won’t happen again…. I honestly don’t remember much past sitting down at the stall.” Still in shock, “oh, no, it was no problem Mr. Kim. I understand…” with great hesitation, “if you—if you ever need someone to talk to I’ll listen. Kind of like a fly on the way you can just rant to.” You didn’t want to stay much longer in this awkward air or bother to hear an answer, so you thanked him again and left in a hurry.

He sat back in his chair rubbing his hands over his eyes, why did he have to be so awkward? He could’ve passed it over to you in a more confident way, but instead he was a blushing mess. If only you knew that he didn’t wash that shirt yet, he smelled it continuously until Jungkook came home later that night that he came back from his Mom’s. He shoved the button up in his hamper when Jungkook opened his bedroom door suddenly. “Taehyung, where were you? I waited up for you!” Squinting his eyes in curiosity, “why did you wait for me? I never called you?” Jungkook came in and sat down at the edge of Taehyung’s bed, “You didn’t, but Y/N did!” Raising his hands in the air in exclamation,” she texted me letting me know you were coming home, but you never did. I waited up for you until 3am on the couch.” Why would Y/N text Jungkook about him? A throb intensified suddenly causing his dull headache to intensify. Images of you at a table across from him and him hanging off your back like a koala played like a movie in his head. He saw himself nuzzling into your neck nosing any exposed flesh. He remembered the delicious scent you gave off amplified by your stress, he had to have a taste for himself. He opened his eyes back up before he saw his tongue on your neck. It finally clicked who the owner of the sweet scent was on his shirt. Wait, they had eachothers phone numbers? A possessive urge came over him to interrogate Jungkook about his relationship with you, “why do you have her number?” Jungkook raised a one of his bunny ears in curiosity sensing the defensive in the fox’s voice, “we’re friends. Of course, friends share contacts.” Friends huh? It doesn’t seem that innocent to him, especially when a while ago he said he wanted to ask you on a date. His fist was turning white clenching them at his side imagining if Jungkook would do the same thing he did to you. Jungkook derived back the main question though, “Taehyung why were you with Y/N?” He unclenched his fist and combed his hands through his hair, “I—I wanted to get a drink and didn’t want to go alone. I asked her. It means nothing.” Jungkook wasn’t convinced, especially since he didn’t come home, “Nothing? You didn’t come home, that means something happened?” Taehyung was getting frustrated having all these questions directed at him, “look I went to visit my mom. She packed that thing you like to eat, its in the fridge.” He pointed in the general direction of the kitchen, and as if the seriousness of the earlier topic vanished he was up and of Tae’s room racing to claim his food before the other roommates got to it. He sat at the edge of his bed now alone, why did he get so aggressive when Jungkook mentioned you or even the thought of him touching you. It didn’t make any sense, you weren’t anyone special to him. His body was crawling and itching to nuzzle into your neck again, but the sober side of him was telling him that his instincts were wrong. Instincts were always wrong.

He remembered, he for sure remembered.

Krystal ask you to show up at her apartment after work the next day, so she can lend you a dress and put the magic into work. You came over with the makeup already on like what you would normally do when you worked at the bar. You worked at the bar long enough to know the culture of the environment, but apparently this new place was a whole new beast. Jungkook sent some photos over today of some people to keep an eye out for one of them going by the alias “Arrow”, who was the second in command to the notorious ring leader Bowman. He apparently controlled the distribution and was the jack of all trades of the underworld. Jungkook and some of his colleagues in his unit also be wandering around the club doing the same thing. We would all meet in the club, but never to be seen together. It felt weird having this much makeup on again, it wasn’t necessary for working in an office, so it took you a few times to get the wing of your liner right. Krystal asked you to stay within the natural color range for your makeup the highlight of your makeup should be your lips.. You haven’t seen the dress for you to wear but internally you were worried. I wasn’t a twenty-year-old going to the club like she was. You knocked on her front door at nine p.m. to be greeted by a full-face makeup woman with smoky makeup and the little black dress she sported. She looked great, straight out of a magazine kind of feel. She took you in for a second, “wow, Y/N, makeup really does change people.” You weren’t sure if that was a compliment or not, but you made your way inside following her to her room. She sat you down at her vanity running her hands through your hair. It felt nice to have someone stroke your scalp, “I’m going to style it so you can hide the small button sticking out of the back of the choker okay?” She sounds so experienced with this detective stuff, “Krystal, do you live a double life I don’t know about,” you raised a brow at her through the mirror. You finally got a laugh from her, “there’s a lot about me that you don’t know.” Again, her ambiguity left you questioning what she meant, but it’s better to leave it at that for now. She let your hair cascade around you in soft romantic curls from the blow out. At some point you were dozing off from the gentle touch and the warm air from the dryer, but she shook you awake when it was time to change. She disappeared into her walk-in closet and came back out with this off the shoulder tight dress. It was so sexy, slightly intimidating with the plunge of the low v neck, but classy. It wasn’t a mini dress like Krystal was wearing, but she had her reasoning, “look I know you’re not comfortable wearing a mini dress and you’re not twenty anymore. Even though you may pass for …twenty-four, so as a compromise I thought something that exposed the chest and hugged the back would be okay. I think it would be more attractive if you weren’t wearing something so,” choosing her words carefully, “reveling and attract the men around the judges age, you know?” Her back handed compliments felt like a swift slap to the face, but at this point you held you tongue accepting this was just who she was, cunning and sarcastic. “Thanks Krystal, so generous of you,” sarcasm dripped form your words, but she just shrugged and walked away. You went into the closet and changed into the dress and the only good heels you have in. You came out and Krystal looked at you through the mirror to stop reapplying her lipstick and turn around fully. A small smirk made its way across your face, you looked in the mirror and felt as good as you looked. You’ve never dressed up so this was totally new to you too, but the woman looking back at you seemed like a totally different person. A true vixen in the flesh. Krystal came up next to you pushing your hair away to clip around the choker that was actually a GPS tracker, just in case something happened. The realness of everything finally set in after she clipped the necklace in place, but uncharacteristically Krystal gripped your hand in hers in silent reassurance.

The landscape of her middle-class neighborhood slowly morphed into a something you were more familiar with. Although you still lived blocks away from this area, you used to work in this district before– the East District. This was a place where the broken, lonely and greedy hearted would go to live for the sin. There was a specific street where the monsters lurked in the depths of the East known as Yellow Bishop. It was eleven p.m. when you and Krystal pulled up to the club in a taxi stopping a little away before the ominous building. There we already people spilling sloppily around the streets and women waiting at the street corners. It was cold out and smelled like urine, but Krystal insisted that jackets would ruin the outfits and the point was to seduce. Your needs for tonight were secondary.

The building had a sign with the word Ploceus subtly placed, you’d miss it if you didn’t know the area. She led you to the entrance passing the line of waiting individuals but stopped half way and pulled you close. She whispered in your ear before reaching the front, “don’t EVER tell anyone your real name. Tonight, you are…,” she rolled her wrist in though then snapped her fingers,” Sweetheart, okay?” She pulled away from your ear grabbing your hand nonchalantly tugging you to the front switching into her “slightly tipsy college girl” role towards the bouncer of the club. “Tony! It’s been a while,” she called out lightly smacking the arm of “Tony” who eyed her with curiosity. She feigned a frown and raised her voice in question, “you don’t wemembew me! The girl YOU slept with?!” Your eyes widened at her bold accusation and Tony tried to stop the potential scene, “miss…I don’t-,” but Krystal interrupted again, “No! Tony! You, you, you took my–virginity! How could you not remember me! You promised! You–you’d let me come here any time if I did!” The man was beyond startled pulling her to the side calming her down with light cooing, “okay, okay, okay baby girl, I’ll let you in. Meet me later, okay?” She nodded cutely biting her lip and tugged you inside not looking back into the swallowing darkness of the entrance. You were diving head first into the lion’s den, blindly guided through the hallway leading to the main floor. Smoke wisped on the ground like a dream and the sudden flashing lights brought you back. There were two floors but the staircase leading to it was guarded. The club you worked at before was more like a dive bar, so your specialty lies with more one on one interaction than big crowds. The DJ was playing EDM music so from this point communication with everyone else was limited. You stopped Krystal before you wouldn’t be able to hear her anymore completely inside, “was what you said true?” She snorted a laugh before she shook her head, “no, none of it was, but I knew that he’s probably slept with many women patrons that it could cost his job. I simple used it to my advantage.” Who was this woman? You readjust the strapless bra and tugged on the off shoulders just right to finally smoothed down the edges of the dress. The thing often overlooked in seduction isn’t about the words, but the way you carry yourself. As if on cue, Krystal and you walk through the smoke cloud and are submerging into the grooving crowd. Attempting to blend in your swaying your hips slightly more than a casual stroll towards the bar. Subtly was grace. It wasn’t like a Saturday night, but the amount of people was still considerable most of which were drunk business men. The devils must make deals on Tuesdays? Krystal leaned in to you again, “most of these girls are escorts,” pointing to a few blondes sitting on older men’s laps,” trying to find a business man to prey upon. The rich men always party more during the week than the weekend.” Searching the room for the exact women she was referred to, you came across a lot of young, attractive women with predatorial eyes on business men. “They don’t have the eye though. These guys are nobodies who run away from responsibility,” you knew a loser when you saw one. These men here on the first floor at least looked like worker ants. The real prize was sitting somewhere upstairs. The temperature on your back felt warmer than usual like something was crawling up your back. You knew what this was, but was the stare from the right bidder? You looked over your shoulder parting your lip slightly combing your hand through your hair and bingo you caught a big fish. One of the three men standing at the staircase entrance was biting his lip watching you. The line should be yanked at the right time though, so you turned back to Krystal.

Krystal lead you through the crowded dance floor the sexual tension in the air was thick from the frustrated business men and all too sober escorts. Amongst the crowd a few familiar faces came into focus in between the annoying strobing lights, it was Jungkook and other members in his unit. They all wore some type of disguise because their hybrid traits were concealed. Jungkook was tightly latched onto debatable eye candy, who had her back to his chest grinding against him, he made eye contact with you briefly noticing you tap your choker. At the bar you let your elbows rest on the counter arching your back to really show the curve of your spine. Krystal ordering two sprite for you both to sip on, you guys needed to stay sober, “look at you Sweetheart. Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” She leaned back slightly to check out your accentuated curves,” maybe I should’ve worn that dress tonight.” A husky laugh left you followed by an empty sigh,” when you’ve worked in the service industry as long as I have, you learn a few things.” 

You let your eyes subtly roam around the tenants of the bar taking note of who was in the vicinity. Your eyes settled on three, tall figures on our right. Taehyung, Key and Officer Tuan sat to your right seemingly well into their glasses of poison. Taehyung still wore his suit from earlier in the day his shirt was buttoned down just enough, and his tie hung out of his pants pocket all the more relaxed looking. The disheveled facade was reflective of a post sex look. A true fox in its stereotypes. You brought your eyes back to look at Krystal shifting on your feet, “eventually, when you just sit back and watch people you get to learn that people show the true them when they think no one is watching.” The truth came reeling in faster than you expected honestly. Someone came up behind you and Krystal draping his arms over your shoulders, “can I buy you ladies a drink?” Instinctually you wanted to grab the arm and introduce your knee to his crotch, but this wasn’t any ordinary creep, it was the big fish from earlier. Krystal was about to reject the offer, but then he tapped your shoulders in a specific thrumming pattern that you recognized. Krystal warned you in the taxi that there were men who worked for the club recruiting women to go up to the top floor where the VIP’s were and “hang out”. This may be a warning, but tonight it was striking the lottery. Tonight, you were a lamb delighting in the attention of the wolves. 

You turned around slightly arching yourself towards the man like a cat enticing the gullible wolf, “buy us” pointing in between you both, “drinks?” A sleazy grin bloomed on his face as he dragged his hairy knckles along your exposed shoulder in affection, “yes, princess, anything for you.” The bartender came back around and set the drinks in front of you, but the man held out his card to the bartender, “on me ladies.” The creatures that lurked in this den were simple. A single touch on the shoulder often got you a 50% increase in your tips that night. Krystal bit down on her straw playing with it seductively making the pig gulp, “Ladies, would you like to come up with me to hangout with some gentlemen upstairs?” Krystal stepped closer to the man trailing a finger down his chest, “only if we both get to play?” The man was chuckling with a gruff rumble in his chest and with no further bargaining he lead you both with his hands trailing down to sit on the perks of your hips towards the stairs.

Taehyung, Key and Mark arrived at the bar around nine p.m. following the normal timing where most business men snuck away from their sad home life. Taehyung hasn’t been to a bar or club in so long that he forgot how chaotic and fast pace this lifestyle was. The women came trickling like a pack of thirsty hyenas looking for a man with deep pockets. A majority of them were average looking women you wouldn’t suspect hunted at night or downgrading their appeal with too much or botched plastic surgery. It made his skin crawl when a group of feral women were eyeing him and the guys like some kind of meat. Mark looked over the rim of his diluted whiskey noticing the same group approaching, but they were intercepted when Jungkook asked them all to join him in a dance. The tipsy crowd of women cheered dragging their new candy to the open dance floor. Mark whispered in a hush enough for them to hear, “sorry, bro.” They could help laughing and almost choking on their drink following the quiet one’s unapologetic apology. However, they all released a sigh thanking Jungkook internally taking bullets for the team.

The clouds of smoke and the spastic lights did a good job at hiding the patrons and staff. If it wasn’t for a trained eye they would miss the bouncers leading women up the stairs in small groups. The men sitting at the booths never climbed the stairs just appeared in the booths Taehyung couldn’t pin point exactly where they must’ve entered through. The second floor was isolated off from the lower area, but the wrap around booths lined the railing. In the glimpses of men sitting against the railing it was obvious they were surrounded by women while sipping expensive drinks. Some were even dancing over the men in ways that would make any mother cry. The waiting staff was a mix of hybrids and humans, but the waitressing staff walking around the floor were bunny hybrids dressed like playboy models holding trays of drinks. His direction of concentration changed when a bright glimmer from a ring caught his attention. The familiar face of a supposedly just man was waving around his hands laughing jollily when more drinks were served at his table. He smacked the waitress’s ass as she walked away smelling his hand afterwards with fluttering, rolling eyes. A silhouetted figure sat concealed behind a curtain across from him cheering a gauntlet of alcohol with the judge. Taehyung nudged Mark and Key and indirectly with his eyebrows signaled the man of interest was in fact there. They didn’t have any women sitting in the booth. The judge sat back smoking a cigar pompously, occasionally waving his hand around as he spoke to prove a point. It was going to be a challenge getting up to the second floor since they weren’t young, attractive women. 

In the meantime, he went back to watching the dance floor then over the bar to see if anyone of interest lingering downstairs. Mark whispered again, “we’ve spotted a few others already on the first-floor booths.” Scanning over the bar while listening in it wasn’t a man he recognized, but women. Right, they had Y/N and Krystal doing that. He didn’t like the idea from the beginning, neither of you should be doing this. He didn’t want the scum of the earth touching you. You often float in and out of his thoughts lately, especially after you fought those kids. He just couldn’t get the double image of you out of his mind with that young girl. The fact that the puzzle pieces were fitting was driving him crazy. The woman that worked with him was a strong, brilliant woman. He had to admit that, just couldn’t do it to your face. 

The longer he spends working with you the more he falls for your odd charm. You stood at the bar leaning into the touch of a man. Mischief swam was in your eyes, but your body read something different. The way the off the shoulders, low v neck dress hugged you was less than innocent. He gripped his cup tight in his hand grinding his teeth. The same boiling anger he felt when he though of Jungkook touching you resurfaced, but now it was because of a stranger. Your hair cascade down off your shoulder in luscious curls. The exposed skin was just asking to be caressed by him and only him. You looked beautiful. Before he could picture himself more admiring you from up close you and Krystal were pulled away into the crowd by the pig. He wanted to rip off the hand that was placed on the small of your back that trailed too close your ass. Key had to place a hand on the knee of Taehyung to calm him, “you’re being obvious.” Taehyung took a drink of his whiskey finishing it in one shot to calm his nerves. Key spoke again, “whoa, slow down,” but lowered his voice after, “I know you like her, but contain yourself for tonight.” Tae’s eyes dilated, but he remained steady, “Key, don’t be mistaken. I only care because they are my employees nothing more.” Key turned away rolling his eyes, but Tae thought his statement was convincing enough. Yeah, Y/N was only his employee and he wasn’t fantasizing about her at all, no, not at all. He had to put on the face of Mr. Kim for tonight. He stood up leaving the two to the dance floor pulling a random woman to him to dance. This would get a closer look at the second floor too. The woman was a bit shocked at first with sudden presence, but she kept dancing once she saw his face. She placed her arms around his neck bringing him in close to grind herself into him. He placed one hand at her side to make the interest in her believable. He didn’t bother to look at her face, just as long as he had a body to distract his real intentions.

When the man escorting you two gave the bouncer permission to remove the red rope barrier, Krystal was allowed up first and you followed behind. The stairs up to the second floor were steep and it made it harder to climb each step since the only thing lighting your path was flickering neon lights. The stairs served more than one purpose apparently. Looking over your shoulder to the man trailing behind and the bouncer at the bottom of the stairs, you followed their hyena like gazes trying to catch a peek up Krystal’s dress. You couldn’t be happier she gave you a more “conservative” dress. You maintained quick steps behind her covering what you could until you both reached the top floor. This floor wasn’t much different from the first, but the striking difference was a circular stage enclosed off with a crystal beaded curtain in between the booths. The lights were dimmer up bringing more attention to the stage. Three tall poles in triangle formation had bunny hybrids at each performing their routine like clockwork. They wore as much as the day they were born with displaying their cottontails right above their taunt butts. Their eyes were dead though working robotically against the poles. The man directed you to walk past the stage, but as you walked by you looked through the crystals and women to find a man sitting comfortably leaning back with both arms behind the booth seat. He was protected enough by the shadow, but the glow of the lights from the stage revealed his carnivorous smile. The sick, perverted man was none other than Yates himself. He was another one of the men in the candid pictures that Jungkook showed in the line-up of suspects. He already had two bunnies on his side while he watched the women work. You continued walking further passing booths occupied with women fawning over the loser inside.

The man who you now figured was the manager turned to you both before you both reached the booth, “play nice now,” before he came to the last booth on the right overlooking the bottom floor. You shared a knowing look with Krystal and behind your backs you clicked the edge of one of your rings to turn on the audio recorder. A fat man with a lit cigar and a lanky figure comfortably sat at the booth. They seemed to be interrupted mid conversation as the manager stepped up the short platform entering their enclosure, “excuse me gentlemen, but these lovely ladies would love to join you for some drinks.” The judge put the cigar in between his yellowing teeth smiling once he caught eye of the offering patting the seat next to him. The lanky man pulled Krystal to sit next to him eyeing her up and down. The judge draped his arm around your shoulder on the back of the seating taking the cigar out of his mouth breathing the smoke near your face, “tell me princess, what’s your name?” He picked up a piece of your hair twirling it around his finger bringing it up to his nose to take a deep inhale of your scent. The shaky breath he exhales in your face was rank to the point your eyes were fighting against watering. You feigned a blush and coly twirled his loose tie around your finger, “you can call me,” looking up at him, “sweetheart.” You looked up through your lashes giving him enraptured, dreamy eyes. You saw the women at the bars do this all the time when they wanted something from a man. He trailed his hand down to rest at your side behind your back tugging at your waist. A small shudder raked through your body at the tight, sausage fingers grip trying to hold back the revulsion. “Oh, you like nicknames, huh? Call me daddy then, sweetheart.” You giggled to cover up the whine you wanted to emit.

The other man cleared his throat leaning forward holding Krystal’s hand rubbing it affectionately, “Sir, I think we should continue this conversation next time.” The judge waved around his cigar, “nonsense, these women won’t remember anything after we fuck them senseless. No need to worry…right sweetheart?” Although he said things in a light-hearted manner, the threat behind his words was very real. You placed your hand on top of his knee taking a second to control your expression, “only if we get to play later like you promised…daddy.” He leaned back eyeing you up and down licking his lips but went to gesture for lanky man to continue. The swallow eyes of the man looked you both over and non-specifically speaking to you both, “it would be such a shame if you two broke your promise…” The judge set his cigar down on on top of an dirty, empty glass and picked up a new one. You picked up the bottle and poured for him earning a smile, “such a sweetheart.” Lanky man sat back lighting up a cigar of his own, “the auction been moved up this month.” The man reclined back in his seat taking a puff of his cigar leaning his head back to let the smoke rise. Krystal continued to play with the hand still intertwined with hers. “Bowman hasn’t hosted one in a while. The shipment for the last auction all died in transport, so he had to find a new supplier to make up for the loss.” You filled back up the already half empty cup, subtly eyeing Krystal. What were they trading? “Arrow, when the location gets set up be sure to tell my secretary. I need a new toy at home, she’s getting pretty used up.” My hands slipped a bit as I poured more into both their glasses. People! They were trading people! Jesus Christ!

The manager came over suddenly to the table leaning into the judge’s and Arrow’s ear. Wordlessly the judge extinguished his cigar and took your hand taking you out of the booth. Arrow did the same to Krystal dragging you through the now chaotic top floor. The bunny hybrids were covering up their exposed body running off the stage. The business men noticed the staff and some men running and followed suit. Before you knew it you made it to the other side of the floor leading into a hidden door. The hallway was just white walls like a hospital with florescent lighting. The four of you were lead down a stairwell into another hallway but were stopped when Officer Wang, Park and Jeon came up behind you, “stop! You’re under arrest!” The judge and Arrow took off running shoving Krystal and you towards the officers. Jungkook caught you in his arms stabilizing you. Arrow pushed opened a door leading to the back noisy alleyway. They escaped out, but that didn’t stop you guys. The officers ran to the exit way faster than you following behind in pursuit. The officers split up when the two directions of the alleyway following the split up duo. You followed Jungkook going towards the left pursing Arrow. Your heels were clicking on the floor loudly and you’ve had enough of your feet aching, so you took them off tossing them somewhere. You pulled up your dress to mid-thigh and finally you were able to run. It felt so freeing, but the cold asphalt was a shock to your system. You avoided the broken bottles and puke as you tried to catch up to Jungkook. He was already off winding through maze like alleyways. You kept running down twisting and turning through aisles of the sub streets. You noticed the familiar back disappeared around the corner of a brick building into a dead end. You rounded the corner but stopped when arms suddenly pulled you to them cupping a hand over your mouth. Finally, you could kick someone in the nuts to teach someone a lesson well deserved, but again your idea was put on the back burner when it was Jungkook pulling you behind a stack of crates. He shushed you quiet holding up a finger to his lips, so you remained still clutching tightly his shirt in your fist steading yourself. Ragged voices were nearby in an empty lot speaking rapidly, “look, the van is on the way! Just—just be patient!” You recognized the owner of the voice as Arrow and soon a black van pulled up with screeching tires. 

The footsteps got closer to small alley and in quick thinking he flipped and shoved you against the cold brick wall. The bunny was fast that the twist was a blur. Your eyes were wide by the sudden action causing a muffled whimper to leave you. He cupped your face with one of his hands leaning close into you his lips ghosting over yours. Your hands tangled in his shirt tighter feeling his hot breath dusting your lips. You were sure he could hear and feel your heart beat beating loudly in your chest. With quick thinking you slipped off the ring you had and turned off the recorder slipping in into his pants pocket. If you got separated from this point on he would at least have the evidence. Your hands returned to clutch in front of you. His large frame encompassed you with one of his arms stabilizing himself on the wall and the other wrapped around your waist. Your chest was touching in the tight embrace you could smell his soapy cologne. His lips tickled yours with his whispered words, “sorry, bestie.” 

Jungkook kissed you with an unexpected fervor lathering his lips over yours in passionate waves. It was so sudden, but you slowly started kissing back seeing his intentions. A horny couple in an alleyway is as common as it comes, especially next to a parking lot. Your adrenaline was running in high concentrated in your vessels raising your blood pressure. You could feel your heart ringing in your ear. His lips moved against yours pulling back for air for a second then coming back in to take your lips fully. A small moan escaped you from the pain then soothing reward of a small nibble. You never thought of kissing him before, he was quickly becoming a best friend now-a-days. He may be a good kisser, but he’s still your friend.

New footsteps rushed down the alleyway with familiar voices shouting, “there! Get ‘em!” Jungkook pulled away with a bit of a smack from your lips you slowly opened your eyes taking in the slightly out of breath, red lipped man. Taehyung rounded the corner stopping near the cross section looking around for you. Krystal was back at the club coming up to him and Key without you, “where’s Y/N?” She shook her head, “she took off down the alleyway chasing after the guys with the officers. I don’t—,” she couldn’t finish her statement because he was already taking off to the back alleyways, “go home, well meet at the office tomorrow.” He ran down the dark alleyway blindly. His instincts told he needed to go to you. He needed to know you were okay. He caught the other officers running down another alleyway chasing someone running for their life. If they were going that way, you must going that direction too. Taehyung stopped behind the officers when they came up to the judge and other figures attempting to hop into a van. Jungkook sweat was glimmering under the yellow flood light of a nearby building. He looked over his shoulder to his right to see his partners charging towards the van. Jungkook eased off you to run after the men and join the fight. Taehyung came up to you with a scowl on his face, “what are you doing here?” He wanted to ask if you were okay first, but when he saw Jungkook caging you in and when Jeon passed him with your scent heavy on the buck it shifted his direction of worry. When he came closer to you the smell of the buck reeked just as strong from you. His eyes darkened when he saw your lips swollen and red slightly glossy. You turned to the scene pointing it out like he didn’t see it, “I was trying to help catch those guys,” you said pointing to the already apprehended Arrow pinned down to the ground by Officer Choi Youngjae. 

The fight was cut short when the van door closed with the judge inside peeling away leaving a cloud of smoke behind in its wake. You tried making your way towards the escaping van, but your arm was grabbed dragging you in front of the upset fox. “Where are you going? Tell me why Jungkook was on top of you just now?” His tone was laced with threat and his now exposed features clearly showed he was upset. Wait, he was upset? With you? “Jungkook—he, he was just…we would’ve been caught so in quick thinking—,” he didn’t want to hear any more, so he released your arm walking away from you. Why did he care? You followed him calling out to him, but you winced in pain when you stepped on something sharp. You stepped off the sharp rock crouching down to sooth the pain. It didn’t pierce the skin, but it left a dent. 

Taehyung turned around instantly hearing you whimper to visually seeing you crouching in the floor in pain. He was furious with you kissing Jungkook and chasing after legit criminals, no livid was more like it, but at the end of the day it wouldn’t change how he felt. He’s not really good at this whole emotional thing. “Y/N, are you okay? What happened? Where are your shoes?” He settled down with you on the floor inspecting your foot. Mumbling under your breath, “I took them off because they slowed me down, they’re somewhere in the alleyways.” He scratched his brows in wonder at this woman, “you can be so stupid sometimes…” You wanted to refute but you couldn’t when he was already picking you up to koala on his back. He locked his hands under your thigh carrying you, “Tae, put me down. I’ll be fine. I can walk on my own.” He ignored your comment walking past the officers booking the criminal and called out to Jungkook, “see you at home Jeon.” He carried you quietly until you were out of spectrum of the others, “you did this for me. Let me take care of you.” The gesture was gentle, and you smiled, rather than ruining the moment you wrapped your arms around him leaning into his warmth.

You finally were feeling the cold. “You’ve done enough for tonight…I’ll take you home.” You pulled back from him, “you don’t have to, just drop me off at a bus station?” He stopped turning around to you like you told him pigs fly, “I’m taking you home, busses don’t run this late.” He didn’t want you out of his site tonight anymore. Not after he saw that pig twirling your hair and then Jungkook…it was too much for him. He set you down on a clean sidewalk when you reached the car parked blocks away opening the passenger door for you. Whenever Taehyung showed you this side of him it always made you feel slightly uncomfortable. He got into the driver’s side taking his blazer off splaying it out across your thighs, “it’s cold, cover up, the dress is too much.” You pulled the blazer up to cover your chest a rosy blush spreading from your cheeks to your neck. “What’s your address Y/N?” You whipped your head to him, Y/N? “What? I’m taking you home I need your address,” he raised his brows in question. “You, you called me Y/N. You’ve only said once before…,” he turned away from you to conceal his blush looking out his window. “Y/N, get used to me calling you by your name when it’s just us. We’re not at work after all,” he seemed to be growing redder the more he proposed familiar calling. “Okay…Taehyung,” it felt weird finally rolling off your tongue, but it was nice not having to call him Mr. Kim. 

He bit his lip, “tell me your address.” You punched in your address to the GPS and Taehyung took note, “it’s not that far from here. You live around here?” With a pulled smile you nodded, “yeah, I have for a long time now since I left home.” Taehyung started pulling off making way to your house, he didn’t give you the jacket because it was cold the car had a heater. He couldn’t stand the strong smell of his roommate on you. The low hum of the radio was broken when Taehyung spoke up, “left home, huh?” You pulled the blazer tighter to you, “yeah, it’s a bit far away from the city.” He hummed thoughtfully, “don’t you miss home sometimes?” He was being oddly sentimental, but who were you to push it away, this is what you wanted, “No, honestly. I don’t have a lot of good memories there…It hurts thinking about it sometime.” Again he thoughtfully hummed and the rest of the ride was silent, but it didn’t last long where you pulled up to the hill of your street. It was too narrow to travel up with a car so he stopped at the bottom of the hill. You turned to Taehyung, “this is my stop…thank you for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.” You pulled the unlock of the car but a hand stopped you from moving out of the car. You looked back to Taehyung staring at you with intense eyes that softened when you turned, “I’ll walk you up.” Nodding awkwardly, you allowed him to unbuckle his belt and follow you up the steep hill. He pulled some cheap slippers from the backseats and let you slip on. 

The blue lights from the random neon signs of the small local marts lit the way as you made your way up. Taehyung looked around taking in the new environment, “I know it’s not what your used to, but its home.” He didn’t seem phased by your side comment, “I used to live in a basement in a neighborhood like this. It brings back memories of my childhood.” He turned to you smiling, “I imagine the aunties who run the stores around here are just as cut throat as any neighborhood, not letting you start up a credit with them.” You couldn’t help it you started laughing hard because it was true, those women were so stingy. About halfway up a hill a delivery scooters headlight blinded you coming straight for you. Taehyung pulled you to the side avoiding the ramped scooter by a split second into his embrace. You were pressed up against his chest and you could feel it his heart was racing a million miles per hour. You looked up through your curtain of hair at him who had his gaze locked on you. He brought a hand up grazing his fingers through your hair to clear your face, “are you okay?” This felt completely different from when Jungkook loomed over you. His breath fanned over your face reminded you of the familiar heat and intimacy of the night in the elevator. This was too much. 

Snapping back into reality you shoved off him correcting yourself, “yeah, yeah, I’m totally fine. Are you okay?” He checked himself one over, “I’m alive, aren’t I?” You let out a huff of disbelief, the humor of this man. He cracked a cheeky smile following you up the hill to your apartment building. You climbed even more to the rooftop Taehyung right behind you. He stopped in awe, “the view is beautiful from here.” You turned around fishing out your keys under a potted plant, “you should see it during New Year’s.” He turned around to you with a bright tone, “can I?” You didn’t expect him to accept, so you stuttered out, “yeah, sure…if you want to,” not thinking he’ll really remember by the next year coming. He stepped closer to you as you unlocked your front door, you turned around facing the fox. “Thank you, Taehyung, for walking me home. I’ll…see you tomorrow.” Taehyung looked around again stretching out the time, “I’ll see you tomorrow Y/N…..Is he,” combing him hand through his hair,”…never mind…” He walked away, and you stood at the entrance watching the fox walk away towards the stair, you pulled the blazer closer to you…wait blazer? “Taehyung! Come back!” 

He perked up immediately and turned back walking fast, “is everything okay? What’s wrong?” You slipped the blazer off your shoulders bringing it in front of you, “you forgot this,” shaking the blazer once for emphasis. “Oh,” he took the jacket grazing his hands over yours sending tingles at the site of contact. He stood there for a second longer then waved you off walking back to the stairs. He heard the door close and lock as he descended the stairs, you made it home safe. He brought the jacket around him fixing up his buttons and attire as he walked down the hill. He unlocked his car slipping back into his car punching the button of the ignition. He looked over to the seat you once sat in, your scent now filled his car hanging like a car freshener in the rear-view window. He looked back up towards your rooftop, “good night Firefly,” pulling away from the curb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 02/07/2018: [The Firefly that Guards the Fox 5](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/170606152758/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-5)


	6. Chapter 6

He smoothed his fingers over his scars feeling the grooves and bumps of the patchy collagen fibers. He starts from his temples trailing his fingers down the brownish-purple flesh resting his hand over his neck. It will never leave him, a constant reminder of his loss and hatred. The roller blinds were pulled blocking out the outside making the only source of light his blue florescent lamp on his desk. He rolled his neck cracking each vertebra one at a time stopping dead center with his eyes on a vintage photograph. A wooden framed photo reflected a woman holding a small child tightly in her arm sat near the edge of his desk. He was brought back to the moment when the photo was taken. The voice of his late mother rang clear in his ear, “Bow, my love, you are going to be a great man. You will change the world, I just know it!” He whispers out, “the world,” along with his mother in his memory.

Breaking his memory, an insistent buzzing rung from a top drawer of his desk rattling against the metal surface. He reached in pulling out a prepaid flip phone checking the unidentified number scrolling across the screen. Grumbling under his breath he flipped the phone open with his thumb bringing it to his ear silently waiting for the other to speak. The voice at the other end, “I got the information you wanted, I sent it to your email. Delete it after your done with it.” The phone was flipped back closed wordlessly ending the call. He rolled the black office chair situating himself in front of the desktop opening the email on a closed IP. The file downloaded instantly loaded with the classified information. The document opened in a separate window loading a detailed resume, but since he was using an older computer it block loaded on the screen. In the first box in the upper corner the name Y/L/N, Y/N addressed the owner of the resume. He kept scrolling down to a new page where a candid photo of you sitting next to the judge in Ploceus taunted him. Leaning back in his chair he folded his hands bringing them to rest against his lips, “the clever fox is going to run out of tricks, don’t get too close love.” His tilted his head back looking to his smiling mother, “I know Mom, I won’t let her end up like you.”

Another interruption brought him out of his thoughts, a familiar rhythm of knocks sounded at the door in a set of three. “Come in,” he spoke with a commanding tone, righting himself in his chair minimizing the file. His phone was set back in the drawer as the door opened allowing a sergeant in. The sudden bright, yellow lights blinded him for a second, but he refused to squint. The man stood in front of his desk with his hands clasped behind his back standing at attention. “Sir, we’ve released Arrow, but…he’s already made moves.” Chief stood up slamming his fist on his desk, “that idiot!” The man shifted uncomfortably on his feet, “it seems that the hybrid unit already has noticed Yates as well. Captain Im has been looking through the system.” He was enraged he picked up the wooden frame and threw it across the room shattering it against the wall. The sergeant lowered his head, “I’ve set up a team to deal with that sir.” He turns towards the blinds seething hot air threw his teeth, “make sure he’s taken care of…cleanly.”

“Uggggh…,” violently shaking your hands through your hair in frustration pulled your hair completely out of the loose bun. You’ve been running back and forth all day drafting and scratching plans, but they all come up unrealistic or doomed for failure. Key rolls his chair one push at a time towards your desk. He picks up a few of the sticky notes on your desk reading over the illegible scribbles to placing them quietly back on your idea board. “Y/N, I know this new case puts stress on us to do well, but you’re going to have to calm down.” You looked at him with disbelief, “Key, after what happened with David I can’t let it happen again.” He placed his hand on your knotted shoulder massaging lightly. His touch was comforting, but you knew it didn’t change the fact that the new case was going to be the first case back on. The media, the other groups in the office and everyone was practically watching to see if you were going to mess up again. Key stopped you from scribbling more on sticky notes, “Look, Mr. Kim has trusted me to go to the Millers and ask them if they want to appeal. Come with me, it’ll take your mind off things.” You hesitate looking back at your desk to him then out the celling to floor windows taking in the blazing noon sun. “It’s lunch time, if anything at least come get lunch with me?” You turned back to Key relaxing your shoulders, “okay, I’ll go with you.”

Its been a week since you’ve played the role of a vixen. It’s been a week since Arrow was arrested, and the judge got away. It’s been a while, but not long enough. Something was itching at your conscious telling you that something very wrong. It was upon the horizon. There has been a lot of cases coming in and reports of hybrids going missing in the city. It was making you anxious knowing that the monsters of the East were scratching the boundaries of the district. This can’t be happening again. Ever since you found out auctions were real you haven’t been able to sleep well. This was supposed to be stuff you only watched on Hollywood films. When Jungkook casually slipped in the meeting I thought it was on a one to one scale, not tens or hundreds of hybrids circulating. A mother in a recent news interview was recorded screaming on her knees for us to find her daughter. Jungkook reassured you that they were going remedy it, but it didn’t ease the thoughts of helpless eyes staring at you behind bars. It was happening again.

Key parked in a back lot of an apartment complex. It was an older part of town where a majority of the buildings were made of brick. You stepped out of Key’s car taking in the quiet neighborhood. There wasn’t an elevator leading up to the third floor since the apartment was old, so you took the stairs. You grabbed Key’s arm before you came to her door looking him directly in the eye, “remember, gently Key.” He laughed pulling away seemingly offended, “I may be blunt, but I know how to be soft too Y/N.” This man was only soft when you brought him his coffee in the morning, otherwise he was a cutthroat blade. Four doors were passed until you both came up to apartment 315, the Millers home. You stood behind Key as he knocked on the solid wood. It took a minute, but a timid rabbit opened the door looking left and right down the hall before she greeted us. “Hello, why are you both here? Is there something wrong?” You stepped out from behind Key, “No, Mrs. Miller there is nothing wrong. We would like to discuss with you somethings. May we please come in?” She clenched the door between her finger tips tightly turning her knuckles white, “okay, but make it quick please.” You both nodded stepping into the small apartment. It was fairly bare, but it had enough of the necessities for anyone to get by. It reminded you a bit of our own apartment. Bare, but its home.

You both removed your shoes at the front door following Mrs. Miller to the front room. She sat in a chair across from the loveseat tucking her feet in close and clasping her hands tightly waiting for us to start. Key pulled out a document sliding it across the coffee table towards her allowing her time to read over it, “an…appeal?” Key nodded his head leaning a bit forward, “Mrs. Miller, we want to file an appeal.” Shaking her head with her fingers rubbing her temple she sighed out sliding the paper back towards us. “No, I—I don’t want to proceed. I can’t afford it, and the decision’s already been made.” You cut in, “Mrs. Miller, we as a whole want to do this free for you. We’ve found purpose to believe that the legislation was not dealt with moral views. The judge is under private investigation. With your help, we can push forward the incentive to prove that. Please…,” your voice was cracking slightly towards the end. It was a plead for help, a plead for her to put this beginning to the end in motion. Key turned towards you mouthing are you okay under his breath. You ignored him keeping in line with Mrs. Miller, “Mrs. Miller, this goes bigger than David, but it concerns other hybrids.” Without looking up she kept smoothing her long skirt down she stumbled out, “please, I don’t want to proceed.” Key patted your knee, it was time to go. You both stood from the couch, “we will leave the appeal here with you. If you change your mind, please call us Mrs. Miller.” You reached over squeezing her hand in yours, “we will be here for you.” She remained still in her seat not bothering to walk us out. Key closed the heavy door with a small thud and click of the lock following you down the hall. As you made it down the first flight of stairs you stopped at the intermediate turning to Key, “it can’t end here,” squinting in thought, “I have to convince her.” Key stepped beside you, “she looks pretty sure about her answer, I don’t think she’s going to do it Y/N.” You raised an eyebrow to him, “watch me, Key. I’m quite persuasive.”

Taehyung stepped outside his office putting on his blazer as he walks down the hall with his empty cup of coffee. He slows as he approaches the isle of partially empty desk. Mrs. Lee sits in an isolated desk typing away while Krystal flips through papers lazily checking over statements. He walks past once towards the break room pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee. The black brew doesn’t wake his sense anymore since he’s already met his caffeine threshold today. It’s just an excuse to walk by the work room. He carries the brew carefully walking slowly to ensure no spills, but really delaying time. He stops by the empty desk of yours once looking it over for your personal belongs but comes up empty. Your sweet scent is only a soft feathery touch that disappears all too soon. Key’s desk is empty too, but he’s out to talk to the Millers, where could you be? He walks over to the sticky notes on your desk pulling an orange note off. The words on it are scribbled enough to resemble a signature of a doctor. He turns over to Krystal taking a sip of his coffee, “Ms. Jung, where is Ms. Y/L/N?” She peers over her stack of papers in her hand, “Y/L/N?” He nods shaking the note as a gesture only to get a paused thought from her. Her blank stare out to space shows she hasn’t been paying attention. Mrs. Lee chimes in, “I believe she left with Mr. Kim,” checking her watch, “about an hour ago?” He nods his head silently putting the note back in place to sip his coffee once more.

He walked back to his office setting down his mug next to his monitor. He sits down in his seat with a sigh, he wanted to bother you a bit. He needed you to rile him up to motivate him a bit more. He just needs to see you. Lately he’s been feeling like he’s drunk, calling for you, nicknaming you Firefly even though you can’t be that girl. Earlier in the week you returned his blazer he lent you that night, neatly folding it in a bag discreetly handing it back to him in his office. You apologized for not being able to take it to the dry cleaner, but you promised him your cleaning skills were just as good. Every day he keeps forgetting to bring it back home with him, so it remains in the corner of his room. He picks up the bag with him before he sits down rustling his hand in the bag. The blazer barely carried his scent now replaced with fresh detergent and your sweet scent. He brought it up to his nose taking in the comforting scent the floral hints ease his muscles. A low hum releases along a deep exhale only to be partially returned with another deep inhale. A low purr rumbles through his chest as his chest warms and fills with your scent. Knocking sounds on his door halting his purrs on a choke, he coughs clearing his throat with a broken, “come in.” He shoves the bag under his desk with his foot draping the fabric over his lap to be concealed when he scoots in. Key comes in to slump in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Taehyung sips his coffee to clear the phlegm build up in his throat, “already back?” Key grabs Taehyung’s coffee cup to take sips from it almost finishing the cup. “She won’t appeal,” Key released the lip of the mug uttering on a gasp. Taehyung nodded his head slowly pouting his lower lip slightly, “I assumed that much.” Key took a larger gulp from the coffee, “we can’t move forward without her, how—,” taking more sips. Taehyung leaned forward trying to get his cup back, “Y/L/N went with you?”

The door opened without you knocking on the door taking the other seat next to Key stealing the coffee cup this time around. “I’m going to convince Mrs. Miller. I’ll make sure she’s fully convinced and willing to go forward with this.” You passed the mug back to Key with a bitter pucker on your face, “god, black coffee really isn’t my thing.” You didn’t bother waiting for an answer you got back up making your way to the work room. Key set the coffee mug back next to his monitor, “well, I guess that’s settled. I’ll go back to work Mr. Kim,” waving two fingers from his temple in salute. The door closed behind him with a click of the lock. What just happened? Most importantly, what happened to his coffee!

The office was chaotic for the next few days clients were coming in and out of the door like the elevator was a rotating door. You spent your lunch going to a bakery and picked up desserts, so you don’t show up at the Millers empty handed. No one can resist the sweet smell of fresh goodies. Key was busy, so you took the bus over. You protected the desserts with your life. You made up to the front door knocking with confidence. Mrs. Miller answered the door with a kitchen towel drying her hands, her ears stood at attention, “Ms. Y/L/N, I already told you I’m not going to file.” You shook your head, “no, no I’m not here to discuss anything. I wanted to stop by and give you these.” You held out the bag filled with different bags of treats in offering. She eyed you suspiciously with her doe eyes narrowing, so you laughed at her tension. “Mrs. Miller I truly promise I just want to give this to you,” you switched the heavy bag handles into her empty hands freeing yourself. You bowed dismissing yourself walking back to the nearest bus station.

Another late afternoon you left the office passing Taehyung, who walked out of the break room with another fresh cup of coffee. He was surprised by your fast pace, “where are you going?” You didn’t bother turning around, “got bunnies to save!” Bunnies to save? The bus was luckily running a bit late, so you made it just as it was about to leave. You boarded the bus swiping your bus card on the meter. The ride is going to be another long one taking up all your afternoon, but its worth it. A short nap and fifteen miles later you’ve made it to the bus stop. The area is quite away from his apartment, but after the trail how could he stay at the same high school. According to outlets he’s switched school, this high school has to be the closest option to match his switch. You stood out front of the school entrance waiting patiently under a tree. You checked your watch as the school bell rung reading off 2:30p.m. You stepped out from underneath the shade looking over the sea of uniformed students leaving campus. The bunny ears you were searching for didn’t come, not even the familiar doe eyes showed up. You waited and waited at the entrance until the sky was nearing dusk. You checked your watch again you couldn’t wait any longer, you needed to go back to the office to finish your work.

A heavy sigh left you as you watched the empty entrance until a concealed figure walked towards the exit. As the figure got closer you recognized the being, it was David. He was walking alone with his head hung low concealing his face and features. With a click of your unused knees you walked towards him calling out, “David! Hey, David,” which caused him to bolt up. His eyes were large, and a bandage covered his cheek, “Ms—Ms. Y/L/N?” You picked up pace looking him over worry lacing your tone, “David, who did this to you?” He pulled out of your touch and looking towards the ground again, “it’s nothing, don’t worry about me. Why are you here?” The pain in his voice chipped at your heart, how much worse has it gotten since the trial? You clasped your hands over your purse, but kept your posture casual, “I came to pick you up David, your own personal body guard.” He scoffed almost laughing, “Ms. Y/L/N, I’ve already been saved by you once please stop trying to help a lost cause.” This angered you a bit, “I’m not here to pity you kid,” crossing your arms. This case wasn’t about pitting the victim, it was about bringing the guilty to light. Unless these people admit defeat then will the old women be allowed to gossip about how pitiful this family is, but not on my watch. “You don’t deserve pity, only the weak do. I don’t want to give up. It’s not in my nature,” you shrugged your shoulder walking down the street banking on him following you. His steps were hesitant but when you were far enough he did walk behind you. You slowed enough to walk next to him, but he still didn’t look up at you.

A food stall selling savory treats reminded you that you skipped lunch so without consulting David you deviated from your path being led by your nose. “Where are you going?” David called after you stuck in his spot in the sidewalk watching you walk away. You called to the older woman running the stand for three sandwiches and tornado potatoes paying her the dirty cheap price for delicious food. The sandwich would take a minute, so she handed you the salted potatoes on sticks that steamed fresh out the fryer. Nothing beats hot food in chilly weather. You walked over to David nibbling on your stick handing him his, but he took it with a loose hand eyeing you suspiciously. “Aren’t you hungry? I mean a life lesson kid, don’t refuse free food,” you took a moment to breath out hot air from the steaming potato. The stall owner called over to you with the ready sandwiches. You took the sandwiches from her and walked over to a nearby bench getting comfortable. You patted the empty space next to you calling over David, who sat next to you. He refused to eat the potato still and accept the sandwich, but his eyes were telling you otherwise. “David, eat please. I don’t want to eat alone, so eat with me.”

David watched you take a big bite from your sandwich and you over dramatically enjoy your bite. It was silent between you both, but his first bite was followed very soon by his second. He ate the sandwich in a mere minute. You were still working on getting halfway done, but you handed over the other half of yours to him. “Here finish this for me. My eyes were too big for my stomach, I don’t even know if I can finish this half.” Your stomach wanted to fight you in protest to twitch your arms muscle back, but he took it from you smiling appreciatively. You finally finished your sandwich and potato to having a swollen bellied bunny rubbing his stomach in appreciation. It made you laugh seeing the content on his face, “Let’s get you home David.” He looked over at you nodded lightly, “thank you, Mrs. Y/L/N.” You turned over to him, “Y/N, call me Y/N. I’m not an old woman, so don’t make me older than I actually am.” You laughed at the blush covering his face, but it was cut short when you stood up picking up your plastic bag with the other sandwich and threw away the trash. David followed you to the bus station waiting for his usual bus and it wasn’t long before the bus came. You sat near the back with him sitting in the window seat. It was empty with only a few other passengers near the front.

He began speaking leaning his head on the window, “my mom doesn’t want to file the appeal. She told me that it would only bring us more harm than good.” Humming in thought you muttered, “It’ll bring more harm by remaining complacent. If you let the monsters crawl eventually they’ll learn how to walk.” David scrunched his face playing with the strap of his messenger bag, “won’t the monster win anyways? They did last time?” You pat his knee, “I was once told this story when I was younger that the stars in the sky are fireflies. They stay up there to light the way at night, protecting those who are under the night sky. The fireflies are the guardians, and if I a firefly can conquer and protect the night I think we can win.” He laughed lightly, “isn’t that a bit childish?” You shrugged, “It may be, but I’m no longer afraid of the unknown.” He looked past his hoodie at you, but decided to rest his arm on the window looking out at the passing traffic. Halfway through David’s head was bobbing from the jolts of the bus off his arm to lulling around. He sat up straight smacking his lips but when he relaxed again his head fell on your shoulder. His hoodie fell back revealing his ears with a spring. They smacked your face but the softness of it tickled your face. Your left hand raised up to adjust him comfortably on your shoulder and you stroked his cheek in comfort. Your fingers ran over his band-aid and it reminded you again that he was in the face of danger. This had to stop, you had to protect him and his mother.

You arrived at his stop and you shook David awake. The bunny wiped his drool following you out of the now empty bus. It was already dark out, so you walked close to him towards the apartment. There were people eying you suspiciously, an older woman walking with a young rabbit wasn’t common. They must think I’m displaying my kinks out in the open. It didn’t bother you though people can judge all they want. You asked David how school was going and what interest he had, and surprisingly he was passionate about talking about school. Most kids his age are all about video games or the opposite gender, but he could care less. He felt that education was a way out, “one day I’m going to show the world.” The passion behind his words made you smile, he was so much like Taehyung it was scary. You pat his head ruffling his hair causing him to grumble, “go get them Tiger.” His tangent didn’t stop until you reached his front door, “thanks for everything…Y/N.” You waved your hand, “no, I did nothing David. I’m not a stranger after all.” Switching the handle of the extra sandwich to his hands, “give this one to your mom, good night kiddo.” You walked away backwards waving him off, “stay out of trouble.” The click of his door let you know he got in alright, but now your concern was making it back to the office. There was work to do.

The elevator dinged arriving on the fifth floor and as you suspected as much the floor was empty. The path to your desk was like clockwork at this point, you could almost pin point the divvies of your trench you formed in the floor. You fished for the switch of your desk lamp illuminating the florescent bulb. You draped your coat over the back of your chair and sank into your chair. Your feet were sore from walking in heels all day. This is one thing you couldn’t get used to working in the office. The shoes, they really made things inefficient. You opened up your desktop bringing up your emails to finish answering pressing messages. However, as soon as you opened your first email exhaustion hit you like a truck. Coffee and now. The breakroom had a generous selection of coffee, but the instant sticks of coffee always tasted the best. It was like your taste buds could taste the dollar value if it cost over a certain amount. You grabbed the steel kettle and filled it with water placing it back on the electric base to heat. Tapping your fingers against the counter you hummed along to a old tune. A knock on the break room door took you out of your thoughts. Taehyung held up his empty cup shaking it, “is there enough for me?” You smiled leaning against the counter, “this isn’t Columbian or anything special if your fine with that.” He nodded and sat down at the table, “You keep leaving the office during work hours. You know you should be working from the office.”

The kettle whistled so you brought to the table two sticks of instant coffee and the kettle. You poured water into his mug first then yours placing it back on the base. You sat down ripping both sticks and poured them in their respective cups, “you know that this much caffeine could kill you right?” You looked over your lashes with raised brows smiling cheekily at him. His expression didn’t change, “don’t change the subject.” You stirred the dark brew with the same stick watching the ripples of your coffee, “I went to walk David home today.” He remained silent taking sips of his coffee waiting for you to continue. ” He had a band-aid on his face. His mother is afraid, she says it’ll only get worse the more we pursue this. I’m trying Taehyung, I really am.” He set his coffee down thrumming his fingers on the side of the mug, “Jungkook couldn’t tell me much, but he found one of the sources of trafficking. They call it the Weaver’s Nest. We need her to agree, it’ll only strengthen the breakdown of that industry.” You just watched the steam billow out of your cup, the nausea was back in your stomach. The gravity of the situation weighted on your shoulders. You whispered out, “I know.” The sadness in your tone reached him, he could even smell the change in your scent. It was laced with anxiety and tension. He wanted to reach out and hold you warding off the anxiety, but he shared the same emotions. The missing cases were doubling, and it gave him little time for his outside work. He hasn’t had the chance to open his father’s case file recently and its making him anxious. Too many of these cases recently remind him of the same case that’s haunted him. The case was colder than absolute. Noticing the silence, you looked up to the fox staring equally as off into his coffee, you smiled through the pain. Your warmed hand on the edge of your mug came to reach across the table to set on his. It didn’t matter that he was your boss, or Taehyung, it was the need to share comfort. He didn’t pull away like you expected instead his thumb started caressing your hand. “I will convince her Taehyung, whatever it takes I will do it.” There wasn’t a response he just kept rubbing your hand softly. You pulled away reluctantly taking both hands over your mug to sip some coffee. He whined under his breath at the loss of contact, it was so warm and everything he needed at that moment. You stood up with your mug pointing back over to your desk, “I’m going to finish my emails before I go home. Let’s finish so we can go home.” He stood up along with you, “yeah, home.”

You were in the same position again running your hands through your hair in frustration on the way back from the Millers. You’ve been making daily visits during your lunch break going over to the Miller’s home. You would help around the house and sometimes she’d ask you to just sit and talk. She always tried to stop you, but you insisted and helped her in the end. You were running out of ways to convince her and you felt like you hit a wall. So again, here you were again working late at the office.

The steaming cup of coffee has now run cold forgotten in the corner of your desk on a makeshift coaster. The blue light from the computer screen was enough to keep you alert this late. You feel confident to say you’ve seen the moon in the sky more than the sun lately. You clicked print on the document and followed it to the dock on the copy machine. You went back to your desk to staple the files together sealing the document. Mrs. Lee already locked up the cabinet file in Taehyungs office, so you walked over to her desk. In the first drawer you fished out the keys you’ve seen countless times. You studied over the words again as you walked towards his office, and once you reached his office you knocked on the door. There wasn’t the normal grumble, so you turned the handle to an empty office. You didn’t even notice him leave, you didn’t notice anyone leave today as a matter of fact.

His table lamp was still on, but any trace of him was gone. You walked over to the file cabinet unlocking the top drawer and filtered through the endless files sectioned alphabetically by name. Countless Kim’s lived in the city and even more lived as files in the cabinet. Finally landing on the right file you pulled out the thick manila, but it caught on the adjacent one scattering all the papers on the floor. Grumbling under your breath you filed the document in the right folder and set in in the cabinet. Your knees protested as you kneeled down pulling all the files towards trying to return it to its order. Your fingers skimmed over the endless amounts of paper, but you stopped when you read the heading of one, “Missing: Kim….” The file trailed off to vague descriptions and assumed dates. It was Tae’s father’s file, he was still trying to find out what happened? You picked up a few more files looking over pages of exerts and bits and pieces of information.

The air seemed to change, and the light dimmed over the fine print you tried to read on the paper. You leaned back trying to adjust the lighting, but you bumped into the shin of someone. The paper in your hands flew again. You practically jumped out of your skin, submitting your soul to the beyond. Turning around you meet the face of Mr. Kim, who looked at you with curious eyes one ear flopped over. Your jaw dropped, Taehyung was here. “I,I,I didn’t mean to look through…. it fell on the floor and I was—,” he picked up a piece of paper looking it over. He rounded his desk and took a seat in his chair bringing a finger to his lips. You continued to pick up the paper stacking it neatly with your shaky hands. You stood facing the cabinet about to place the file back in, but he spoke, “my father…he went missing when I young. I can’t remember what it was like before that, but I’ve never given up looking for him.” No words felt right at that moment, nothing could ever fill the gap his father left.

You glanced over to the fox holding a hard stare at the page in front of him. Cautiously I pulled out a seat in front of his desk sitting down and carefully placing the files down. “You still haven’t found him?” The question flowed out of you naturally. Taehyung set the paper down but didn’t lower his finger, “I didn’t want anyone to know I was doing this, but I’m trying to find him. I’ve come to a wall. All directions of this case point to a dead end.” You looked up at him silently asking for permission to look through the files, and he nodded allowing you. We sit in silence for a while as you meander through the files trying to shift through all the information.

Taehyung stares at you watching every expression and scrunch of your eyebrows. Your white blouse hung loosely around your shoulders it was tucked into your high waisted navy slacks. It was becoming a trademark to have your hair in a messy bun where strands fell circled your face. He should be upset with you for going through his cabinet, but he can’t find it in him to be. He wanted to wrap his arms around you when he saw you crouched on the floor. He wanted to bury his face in your neck to will away his trouble, but for now he was satisfied watching you from a distance. You were becoming his new Firefly.

Suddenly you gasped out and slammed the paper on the floor causing Taehyung to jolt. A smile erupted on your face looking back and forth between Tae and the paper, “Taehyung! Do you see this?” He pulled the paper back to himself rereading the papers he’s gone over a million times, but he didn’t find anything. It was all just random statements. You shook your head curling your fingers back asking for him to return the paper to you. He passed the paper back and you snatched it out of his hand in excitement, “here Tae look! The shelter is nearby your hometown. Where your parents came from! We should look up the names of the shelters! They must have more information. Shelters don’t ever throw away information on hybrids, they archive it.” You pointed to an account from someone reading it off then turned to Taehyung, “that would explain the police and pound officers came to your house after you left!” Taehyung was following along carefully, even feeling a little giddy when you called him Tae, but was thrown off his sweet tangent at your last statement. “What? Police at my house and pound officers? What are you talking about Y/N?” Your mouth fell agape looking anywhere, but Taehyung. “Umm….,” you pointed to a statement above, “there’s an account here that says police and pound officers trailed your family after years.” He wasn’t quite convinced, but he let you continue, “are you in danger Taehyung?” This time he pulled away the paper from you, “I don’t know. I haven’t had problems or had to hide since I was a child. I think they’ve given up. I still…. I still want to find out. I need to.” It was worth a shot, so you tried, “Taehyung, let me help you find your father. You can’t do this alone.” He looked up at you just staring watching your expression for any change. The fire was burning in your eyes he could feel the warmth. He couldn’t do that to you though, he couldn’t involve you in his personal problems. “Y/N, I don’t want to involve you. This isn’t–,” he stuttered out.

You sat back in your chair, “Taehyung, do you remember what I said during my interview?” He squinted his eyes trying to remember, but the words seemed so long ago. “I lost someone important to me to the same people you lost your father to..I can’t let this keep going on. Let me help.” You wanted to say that with conviction, but the the building phlegm in your throat make it hard. You didn’t want to look at him the image of the small fox you knew was scratching at the scars in your heart. It wasn’t easy looking at Tae, knowing his father was out there someone.

“Okay.” The answer was simple. Initially, he wanted to push you away, but the longer he thought about it he wanted you by his side. If you knew the pain of loss, then maybe you would be able to see things just like he would. Maybe even better. Your head shot up eyes wide, “really?” He nodded staring directly at you, you couldn’t break your eyes from his. You picked up a few more documents, “I want you to know I will put all my effort into this. We can start by going over documents and finding more things you may have missed.” He didn’t need to respond verbally, he picked up some documents too and cheered the stack of papers to yours. You laughed at his silliness, this Tae was the Tae you knew. He started laughing so hard that his chair tipped back, only causing you both to erupt into laughter further. 

A phone call interrupted but still laughing Taehyung excused himself, “Hello? Mom, oh Hi….I’m busy right now.” You knock on the table mouth out to him ,”go see your mom. It’s okay.” He tried waving you off talking into the phone but you keep knocking until he can’t ignore you. He sighes into the phone, “I’ll be over soon Mom. Okay..yeah…me too.” You smile in victory. He hangs up the phone giving you a stern look, “Y/N…” You held a firm tone back, “you should vist your mother, I’m sure she misses you. You work too much…Mr. Kim.” A small smirk broke on his face, “I have a break tomorrow during lunch. Let’s go to the station tomorrow and ask Jungkook to look up records on any shelter in the area for missing hybrids.” He’s already standing up collecting his briefcase, but he stops to glance at you, “get—get home safe Y/N.”

You board the last bus of the night swiping your monthly pass on the meter. You walk back holding on the edges of seats and railings to sit in the middle by a window. any seat open. The bus begins to move again, so I rest my head against the lightly vibrating window. Watching the traffic go by seeing the families in their car, the occasional couple, but what catches your attention the most is the lonely drivers. The ones without anyone in the passenger seat. Were they going to visit a lover, or eat alone at home? You turn away from the road and watch the cloudy sky. No matter how happy it made you earlier to take steps closer to Tae, it felt like you were taking just as many steps back. You rest in this neutral place. It didn’t change the biting guilt nipping at my ankles every day.

You can picture it clearly of how happy he looked. The genuine boxy smile and the perking of his ears. How the blissful obliviousness of all this will come to an end one day. That—that guilt, it’s biting at you. What hurts the most that makes you double over at the thought, is the pain of him not remembering you. The emotions within you blend into one like a prism.

When I can only see your back, can you still feel how much I care about you? If you were in my position, how would you feel? Would you still miss me like I miss you? Would you look for me, like I’ve been with you…if you remembered me. The answerless answer haunts me keeping me up at night. Sometimes I find myself up at night, working still at home because I can’t go to sleep. I feel like there’s no hope with each day passing. You don’t remember me.

It hurts knowing you lied to Mom. The day he remembers you won’t ever come. You can’t keep your promise that you’ll ever tell him who you are. That’s one step forwards that you don’t have the courage to take; even if there was an elixir for it, it would be as useful as water. I’m just going to watch you from far away and I’m content with this lifetime just being a firefly. I’ll always be his firefly.

You step off the bus walking towards the familiar hill. You were the only one to exit off at the stop. Instinctually you adjusted your purse around the shoulders bringing it to rest in front. The thin padding of your coat only blocked so much of the frigid air, so you tucked it in tighter around you. The cold air awoke your senses like a shot of caffeine. A sharp taste of car exhaust, dust, and occasionally soil from the trees plotted along the sidewalk. Living in the South-East District had it’s ups and down, like any neighborhood. However, once it became night the infrastructures turned off their lights avoiding the monsters of the East border. The only light was from the tall streetlights placed every half mile. Half of the streetlights didn’t turn on or either flickered like strobe lights.

Out from an alleyway, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows. Once the bus was far away enough and the streets were empty, he followed you. Click, click, clickclick, click. The lonely clicks of your shoes didn’t walk alone. You didn’t need to turn back, you felt it. You felt the eyes on your back. You needed to confirm it. You needed to know if your gut instincts were just playing paranoia from the dancing shadows of the night. A glance over your shoulder and the shadowed figure is hot on your trail. His footsteps pick up into a jog at your glance. My blood turns cold; it drains from your face coating your heart with the coolant.

You turn back forward maintaining posture and calmly clutch your purse in security. Lesson one: never panic. With a clearing of your throat and a big deep breath, you run. It didn’t matter if this guy was after you or not, you weren’t going to risk playing hide and seek with a monster. You’d rather embarrass yourself than gamble with the devil. You run up the hill fighting against the incline. Your apartment is too far it’s a better to find somewhere to hide. Flashing by the allies you turn into a familiar nook carrying down the alleyway. He slams into the brick wall stumbling into some trash. You look up at the homes, but they’re all dark. You ran towards the home convenient store, it was always open. The auntie never shut down shop, even when it’s pouring down and lighting is zapping at everyone’s feet, she stays open.

You approach the familiar door and the lights are off. The metal security door was locked with a sign outside reading, “family emergency, be back tomorrow.” I shook the door just in case, but it was locked tight. I looked back over to the shadow and I could see the condensation leaving his mouth as he ran full speed towards you. You didn’t spare a second and kept running down the alleyway. You zig zagged through the alleyways. You ran and ran, you could see the end of the alleyway opening to a side street. You ran out into the open and into oncoming traffic with headlights on you, but you didn’t stop. You crossed the busy side street slipping past cars making it into a continuing alley.

He caught up but the crowd of people surrounded him like a school of sardines. A few people bumped into him shouldering him, but he swam into traffic. A car was heading straight for him in both directions, so he sprinted past the oncoming car. He jumped for it gliding across the hood of a taxi He emerged himself into the new school of fish on the other side looking left and right under the brim of his hat he couldn’t find you. He peered down the empty alleyway not seeing any sign of life. His instincts told him to walk down it through the darkness.

Green tinted smog rolled out of the vents attached to the back of restaurants covering the asphalt in fog. Under the flickering lamppost, and without much conscious though you walk towards the ajar dumpster. The sour smell should turn anyone with a sound mind away, but you didn’t have anywhere left to run. The endless isles you’ve been mazing have come to a dead end. You toss in your purse first then pull yourself up and over into the once treasured possessions. You jumped directly into a mysterious juice that tickled up to your ankles. Your purse was a goner having halfway into the solution. The sour stench of the hundreds of takeout was enough to make you add to the concentration. Looking around the alleyway you brought the lid down crouching down holding your purse. You held a dirty hand over your mouth softening your harsh breathing. The absence of light and quiet hum of the traffic made the beating of your heart louder in your ears.

The buildings were tight together tied together with power lines hanging low. He ran through the fog of steaming out of hot vents twisting and turning around intertwining allies. He came up to the last intersection with a dead end. Steeping heavily along the asphalt you heard the scraping of rubber soles, taunting you. You clasped your free hand towards your chest clasping tightly around your purse. The sounds reached the end of the alley and circled back stopping in front of the dumpster. You heard the ragged breathing he was grunting out loud. Suddenly the dumpster thundered from a Apollon kick to the side of the dumpster. You covered your ears curling in on yourself internally hoping, “please, please, please go away.” The tantrum didn’t stop there a few carboard boxes nearby were victim to his rage. The pitter patter of his feet echoed farther off the walls until all you heard was the whistle from the vents.

You fished for your phone out of your juicy purse swiping the green phone icon. You punched in the three emergencies digits but hovered over the call button. You didn’t want to involve the police, you’ve tried calling before, but they always ignore calls form your area. You could call Jungkook, but what good would that do if no further actions would come from it. It won’t hurt to tell him though, you don’t want him to hurt anyone else. First thing first, get out of the dumpster. You hopped out of the dumpster and ran into the shadows of the alleyway. You scoped out the area waiting for any signs of the man following you. The coast was clear.

You meandered back onto the streets blending in with the crowd at the nearby night market. You smelled like an outhouse and the people created a visible bubble around you. You kept your head high on the lookout for the man in the crowd. It took a while, but you made it back to the familiar hill. Your shoes squished as you ascended towards your home. You stopped in your track, a dark figure popped out of the alleyway walking up the hill. You squinted observing him, but it didn’t seem like the man who followed you earlier.

In fact, this silhouette was one you recognized, it was your brother. You picked up pace despite your burning thighs and jumped onto the back of your brother. “Oh god, what is that smell?” You back off from him with a feigned offended expression. “How rude, first time I see you in a while and I get a comment about my hygiene?” You finally get a look at your brother, who’s been gone on deployment. He looked great, unlike you. “God, what happened to you?” He was checking every part of you making sure you weren’t injured. “Did someone hurt you?” You didn’t want to worry your brother, he was gone most of the time. You needed to move out, but you were still saving up. In the meantime, a little white lie wouldn’t hurt. “I wasn’t paying attention and fell into a pile of garbage. It resembled you, so I had to go say hi,” you couldn’t help wiggle your eyebrows at the end. His mouth fell agape, but it turned into a mischievous smile, “oh that’s too bad. I picked up something delicious from the store for you. I guess I toss it in the trash since you appreciate it so much.” This was going too far, you tried snatching the plastic bag, but he towered over you. You took advantage of his raised hangs and hugged him spreading the mysterious liquid. He screamed demanding for you to let go, even awaking the neighborhood dogs. You took the bag from him and walked to the apartment. This night did have its turn around.

Another fruitless day with the Millers, you stepped off the bus into the bustle of downtown. You walked up to the front of the station waiting for Taehyung to arrive. You checked your watch making sure you weren’t late, but actually five minutes early. You bounced on the balls of your feet in your pair of worn out flat you haven’t worn since you were hired. The shoes you wore yesterday were stained in dumpster juice. Your purse wasn’t so bad, but it still didn’t smell wonderful no matter how many washes you tried to put it through.

A familiar black BMW screeched into the parking lot with a flustered fox stepping out. He fixed his tie trying to ease his nerves. He was sure he’s gone over the information collected over the years a million times, but the chance of a new pathway excited him. He wasn’t alone on this conquest either. He locked the car and approached the entrance of the station. The nervous fox passed you calling out, “Jungkook doesn’t have a lot of time, let’s go.” You followed behind walking through the lobby walking towards the overhead sign “Hybrid Unit”.

Jungkook sat at his desk staring off into space sipping instant coffee in intervals. The dark circles under his eyes was very apparent. Taehyung sat his briefcase on the desk garnering the attention of the dazed buck. Jungkook’s eyes blinked focusing on the guest smiling away. He got up rounding his desk sharing an intricate handshake as a greeting. He turned to you calling out your name and picked you up off the floor in a hug. Taehyung didn’t like the way he was holding you and that he found it easy to pick you up. You were too close to Jungkook. He intervened pulling you down and into his side reminding you out loud, “professional Y/N.” A blush covered your face being so tightly held into Taehyung’s side. Jungkook raises his brows at you both, “what can I help you guys with?”

You removed yourself away from Taehyung sitting in one of the plastic chairs, “can you look up records of missing individuals or clearance reports from a shelter?” Jungkook sat back in his chair smiling, “I could, for a price though.” Taehyung grumbled, “Look, Jeon, I’ll buy you whatever you want just get the information.” The bunny’s ears perk up and his fingers type away at the computer, “name of shelter?” Without much thought you related, “Carnal & Humane Society.” Taehyung opened his mouth but closed it looking at you in question. Jungkook typed out the information and pressed enter and scrolled down the page. Taehyung leaned forward, “anything on my father?”

Jungkook looked over at him with a somber expression, “no, but there are over a hundred missing cases coming from that shelter.” You couldn’t believe it, a hundred and no one asked about them? Out of curiosity, “is Taehyung on that list?” Taehyung looked over at you, “why would I be on that list?” You turned to him, “even though your father may be missing, you could be in their system based on association.” Jungkook scrolled through the system, but didn’t come across Taehyung’s name, but stopped. His typing got faster, and he hit print. “Excuse me for a second,” Jungkook disappeared into a smaller room leaving you both alone.

The police chief walking down the corridor greeting superiors and the men who worked just under him. He paraded around the work room, until he stopped at the Hybrid unit. He walked with his minions behind him as he loomed over the desk. Taehyung stood up first and you had to turn around to notice the scarred beast. He stopped behind you as you rose up from your chair. He smiled towards you both offering his hand to shake. When he shook your hand it was so dry, like shaking sandpaper. He pulled away clasping his hands behind his back, “to what do I offer this visit Mr. Kim and Ms. Y/L/N?” Taehyung attempted to answer, but Jungkook returned from the copy room handing Taehyung the file.

Taehyung eyes went wide reading the name at the top of the page. Before Taehyung even transferred the heat form his fingers to the page it was snatched away by a sergeant following the Chief. The sergeant passed the file over to the chief who read out the title, “missing: Kim (Mother’s Name).” The Chief raised his eye brows at the name looking over to Taehyung, “you should know better than anyone that you can’t obtain reports on missing individuals Mr. Kim. The case is still open.” You couldn’t believe it, they were withholding public information? You stepped forward, “Sir, because hybrids are still in the grey area, some reports that are not criminal are available to the public. It’s public information, we’re allowed to access it, regardless if the case is open or closed. The statute of limitation for it to released has passed.” Yes, hybrids still lack rights and it hurt to say it out loud, but you needed this information. His mother’s name was in the system. You weren’t going to lose valuable information to this baboon.

He licked his lips before he spoke, “Ms. Y/L/N, we cannot let this information leave this office. It’s illegal ” You opened your mouth to argue, but the chief continued, “I will have to arrest you Ms. Y/L/N if you attempt to leave with this information.” Jungkook nudged Taehyung side eyeing towards you. Taehyung grabbed the back of your elbow, but you weren’t having this. Lesson two: choose your battles wisely. You were going to open your mouth, but chief brimmed down at you, “arrest them Jungkook if they decide to continue to harsh for the information. Please escort these two out of the station.” That’s where he got you. Taehyung picked up his brief case speaking out loud, “let’s go Y/L/N. I will come back for the information at a different time. Good day, Chief.” Jungkook wanted to follow you both out, but he stood at attention to his seniors. He knew a reprimanding was coming. You looked back once before Taehyung lead you out of the station with his hand on the small of your back. His tail was flicking behind him, but his human side looked calm.

As soon as you stepped outside he slammed his briefcase on the floor. “My mother’s name is on the list! They know we can have the document, but why withhold it? What power does it give him?” Taehyung is seething through his teeth. You come closer to him picking up his briefcase your best to comfort him, “calm down Taehyung. We don’t need that paper. We have the name and evidence in their system… over a hundred hybrids are missing…why don’t we visits the shelter and get the information from them directly?” You pulled back, this felt like you were going in to deep, “I mean you could always go.” He looked at you, “Hundred Y/N…I don’t think—I don’t think I could go alone. That’s too—.” He was shaking, so you slowly approaching placing your hand on his arm, “Taehyung, don’t cower in front of adversity. You are an amazing lawyer, don’t doubt that.” His ears twitched with your compliments looking directly at you, “…come with me still, I want you to come along.” You nodded reluctantly, but hopefully he’ll be able to pick himself up by the time he goes back home. You couldn’t go back home with him.

You walked down the stairs then it hit you, you never told the Chief your name. You never properly introduced yourself to him, how did he know your name?

You’re a few steps ahead of Taehyung but stop when you hear a voice calling out for Taehyung, but not just any calling out, he’s yelling Tae. A golden retriever runs past you towards Tae carrying a large bag. He engulfs Tae in a suffocating hug giddying around. “Tae! What are you doing here?” Your heart drops, you recognize the voice of this hybrid, it’s Hoseok. It’s not time. It’s not time. It’s not time. You lower your head and back away from the duo. Turning away you walk towards the sidewalk hoping to blend in to the crowd and run to the nearest bus stop. Taehyung pulls the clingy hybrid off him, “Hoseok, Jesus…Y/N? Wait…why are you leaving?” You slow but don’t stop at Taehyung’s words; maybe you can pass it off as not hearing him.

Hoseok catches a whiff of your scent whipping his head towards you, “Y/N?” Hoseok’s eyes widen and in the next second he takes off towards you. “Hoseok, wait!” Taehyung tries to stop the dog, but it’s fruitless. Before you can turn around Hoseok’s arms are curling around you lifting you off the ground twirling you around, “Y/N! Y/N! is it really you?” Hoseok sits you down, “it is! I’d recognize you anywhere! It’s really you!” He brings you into another hug, squeezing you tightly eliciting a squeak out of you. Taehyung comes up next to you both, pulling you away to be covered behind him. Tae glaring at Hoseok, “Y/N? How do you know her Hoseok?” Hoseok looks confused, “what do you mean, you don’t remember Y/N? Wasn’t she with you a second ago?” Taehyung nodded but you tried to stop Hoseok, “Hoseok, please, he doesn’t…” Taehyung grew angry, “I don’t know what?” Hoseok couldn’t contain his excitement ignoring your request, “Y/N! Firefly! You know from our first home back in the countryside! That Y/N!”

All motions stop as Taehyung glances over his shoulder studying your face. He was blinking away the double exposure trying to center the three floating images of you in his eyes. Three turned into one and it was just you. The image of a messy child evolved into a charismatic woman. His defenses felt paper thin; the lost piece to his childhood. He needed to be grounded, and you were the only one that could do that for him. He brought you into his firm chest and you could feel the unsteady heartbeat. You could feel his body trembling fighting against the tension in his muscles. He whispered out, “Y/N? Really, is it you Firefly?” He pulls back studying your face again and again. It was like he couldn’t believe the shadow that haunted his image finally stepped into the light. You couldn’t help getting lost in his eyes.

Hoseok breaks the moment coming in between you both asking a million questions off the bat. He turns to Tae, “you really didn’t know it was her?” Tae still staring at your face, “I didn’t—I didn’t know…” Hoseok steals you again, “I missed you! I really missed you.” This is all happening so fast, but you hug him back. The cat’s out of the bag.

The moment is ruined when Jungkook comes out of the front door calling out for Hoseok, “Hoseok? What are you doing?” Hoseok looks back between you and Tae holding up the bag. He got Jungkook a change of clothes. He pulls out his phone handing it to you, “I want to see you soon, I have to get back to the studio. Let’s not lose contact this time.” You smile and type in your number. He ruffles your hair and hugs you tightly spewing out promises of meeting soon. As soon as he came, he was gone.

It was just the two of you. He drops his briefcase stepping closer to you. You think he’s angry because of the dramatic action but he just slumps into your neck, resting his head. “I thought I would never see you again.” You didn’t know what to say, so you remained still. The fear of him not remembering you and the suffering you’ve been going through silently felt minimal now. He tests your name on his tongue a few times breathing hot air on your neck. “…I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. It’s just I can’t remember much—.” You bring your hand up to pat his head combing your fingers over his ears. He shivers, the feeling is so electric, but it’s euphoric. Your gentle touch is all he needs. “It’s okay Tae…we were kids, we had no control over anything.” You stay like this melting against eachother. It just feels right.

You hear the sirens of a brigade of police cars leaving the station and come back to your senses. You start to pull away, but he stops you, “I just found you and your trying to walk away from me?” You blush but get out, “we should head back to the office Tae. We still have work to do, as much as I want to hear everything, it doesn’t change the situation.” He whines trying to bring you back into an embrace, but you hold a hand out to his chest. He wants to say fuck everyone else, fuck it all, but you’re right. You’ve always had reason. “It’s been too long…and I’ve been such an ass, I need to make it up to you.” His ears are flat against his chest, the remorse evident in his body language. Fiddling with your purse you look anywhere but him, “Let’s meet up later than…I’ll meet you at the office?” He looks at you confused, “I’ll take you back to the office. I’m not letting you get away again, anyways.” He steps closer holding your hand in his, “don’t leave me.” You stutter out, “I don’t feel it’s appropriate for us to show up at the office together.” He scrunches up his face in anger, “I don’t care what anyone things, you’re my Firefly.” There it is, the words that make you melt. His Firefly. He picks up his briefcase not letting you go, “I’ll drive.” You nod and follow him to his parked car.

You sit in the passenger seat with him in the driver’s seat. He goes back to holding your hand, “is it really you Firefly, is it really you?” You nod your head and try to reclaim your hand, but he won’t let go. He switches his grip interlacing your fingers rubbing his thumb over the top of yours. He suddenly breaks out into laughter, “no wonder my Mom liked you so much, she keeps messaging me every so often asking about you. It all makes sense now. Everything just makes senses.” Your blushing like a freshly bloomed rose. The handsome fox finally found his charming Firefly. 

On the drive back to the office, he drives with one hand on the wheel while the other caresses yours. You don’t want to ask anything so deep on first meeting, but the questions want to escape. He must notice your inner conflict because he starts a monologue without looking at you. “The old man came to our house saying we needed to get out and leave. I had no clue what was going on, I didn’t know that my father was taken by the poachers. My mom packed up and Hoseok’s mom and dad helped us escape. We lived in the basement of his aunt’s house and waited for news of my dad. The news didn’t come, but my mom and I stayed there and made a life in the city. Hoseok eventually moved to the city too and we went to school together. We had to move on. She became the maid for Hoseok’s aunt family to earn some cash and repay their kindness.” He took a second to look at you, “I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave you, I even asked my mom If I could say goodbye to you and your brother before we left.”

Your head was lowered at this point looking at your lap. How much pain had he gone through? How lonely he must’ve felt too, just like you. He spoke after there was no response, “I missed you, Y/N. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you. I guess I was expecting the choppy bowl cut and shoes with holes still.” He looked over to you and you laughed, “It’s okay Taehyung, I didn’t expect you to turn out the way you did too. You really grew into yourself.”

He smiled back at you ready to make a bad joke, “So you think I’m good….Y/N WATCH OUT!” He screamed and threw his arm in front of your chest embracing for impact of the car that was coming straight at the on the driver’s side. The F150 collided into the car and as if was slow motion you saw what seemed like the life leave Taehyung as he closed his eyes. You braced yourself for the impact as the car rolled for the second time. It came to a stop upside down. Your ears were ringing and vision blurring slightly. You gripped your head when a twinge of pain surged through. You turned to your side to take a look at Taehyung, but turning was so painful. You hissed when you felt the pain ripple up your spine. You still were able to shift your head to take in a passed out Taehyung. His face had a deep gash and his arm seemed to be in an awkward position.

The smoke started filling the cabin of the car and you knew you didn’t have much time to get you both out. The ringing in your ears muffled your own calls out to Taehyung. You looked around and started working fast to get your door open. Lucky it was already hanging off halfway you were able to crawl your way out onto the moist asphalt. You got up and limped your way to the driver’s side. You caught a glimpse of the driver in the truck still stuck to the front end of the vehicle, but he exited his cabin and limped away. He had a black mask and hat on. You didn’t have any time to waste with the flame building on the hood of the car. You covered your face with your sleeve and placed your foot on the backseat door and pulled at the driver’s door. It took you a few tries but you were able to scrap it against the asphalt nudging it open far enough to bring Taehyung out. You keep calling out for Taehyung, hoping he would wake up. You reach into the car and support his neck with one of your hands afraid of potential paralyzing and use your other to wrap it around his waist. You drag him out and with a strength you didn’t know you had off to the sidewalk away from the burning vehicle. You prop his head in your lap and take his pulse. Its faint but it’s there.

You start screaming, “Help, please! Someone call 911!” A crowd of people circle around you and some calling 911. You cup his face in your lap and hug his head and your sobbing. “Please, don’t die Tae, Tae! Please! I need you!” Not knowing how much time has passed cop cars, ambulance and firetrucks show up on the scene. Paramedics approach you and shake you out of your spell, “Ma’am, are you okay?” You turn to them and desperately, “Please, please save him.” They pull him off your lap and set him on a gurney getting to work. They ask you to come along with them checking you for injuries. You assure them you can walk. You get into the vehicle and are taken to the local hospital.

You enter the ER and the nurses and doctors go to work immediately taking him into a room. You spot a familiar face, your friend Yoongi’s fiancé, who you’ve only met a few times. She comes running up to you and ask you what happened. Finally you can relax knowing Tae is going to be taken care of, the pain finally hits. Your head panged with a numbing pain and with your hunching over your ribs sang the same tune back. Your vision went blurry and then slowly went black. Yoongi’s fiancé started calling after you, “Y/N, what’s wrong? Whoa, whoa, okay now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 02/21/2018:[The Firefly that Guards the Fox 6](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/171127156158/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-6)


	7. Chapter 7

Her giggles were infectious as I splashed water at her. She was relentless though, fighting back with waves back at me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and spun her eliciting a scream of happiness. “I got you firefly!” She smacked my arm, “put me down Tae!” I shook her in my arms taunting her further, “Tae! Stop!” The anger behind her tone didn’t hold any value, she didn’t really want me to put her down. However, she reached over and pinched my ears between her nails. I let go of her with a yelp. She splashed carelessly into the knee-deep water and stuck both thumbs in her ears wiggling her fingers finishing her move by sticking out her tongue. A squeal then a laugh drummed out as I run to chased her. I latched onto her falling backwards letting gravity take over. I submerged us both into the water with a splash.

I didn’t come up from the water; the girl in my arms faded as I twisted and turned to lie on my back. I felt lint balls from the fabric under my fingers, a mix between knotting suede and a thin mattress. I blinked back to a clearing light. I woke up to my mom putting my backpack together in our basement home. “Honey, please get up you’re going to be late!” I tossed the blanket over me walking only a few steps over to my mother. The room smelled of pungent, stale, reheated coffee and concrete dust. His mother turned to him with her everlasting smile. Her hair was a vibrant color and her ears a habanero orange. She handed me my backpack, “hurry along now.” I took the bag and ran towards the door letting the blinding morning light in.

He pushed through the metal exit door stumbling onto the side walk. He was giggling like a boy in elementary school. He hung onto a woman, who giggled mindlessly and hiccupped from over drinking. Her face blurred every time he looked her over. It was certain he didn’t want to take her home, none of his dates ever made it there.

He stumbled through the parking lot pulling her into the backseats of his car. Their lips and teeth knocked in passion. The heat from their bodies and tension fogged up the windows. She grinded against his crotch, rubbing him in the right way. He trailed his hand up her thigh slipping under her ‘barely considered a dress’ dress. She left his lips, kissing sloppily down his jaw, sucking generously on his neck. She had no true trajectory, she just wanted him. He leaned his head back looking through the back window of the borrowed car of his friend. The street lamp directly above his car was so bright. He squinted tight and everything faded to black.

One squint and a blink through the haziness you pried your eyes open, greeted by a white ceiling. The noises of the room sounded distance, but within moments they cleared and beeped into normalcy. With the strength of a thousand newtons, you turned your head away from the bright fluorescent lighting towards the EKG monitor and other medical devices. The streamline of my heart and other saturations ran consistently. Your eyes bounced along with the inflections of your heart rate. You groaned as you turned back attempting to right yourself. The pressure on your wrist excited every nerve and was an instant reminder that everything wasn’t alright. A lightning bolt shot up from your left false ribs shorting your breath. Your vision blurred shortly with the electricity flowing through each vessel finding a point of interest around your temples. Things weren’t alright. The plastic tubing attached to you creaked and made a racket creating their own orchestra number.

Your napping brother stumbled from his seat in the corner of the room. He shot out of his seat finding a spot next to you on the bed in a less than graceful manner. He adjusted your IV pole and the tubing making sure he wouldn’t pull anything. He laid you back down searching you over with worry in his eyes, “God, I was so worried about you. Do you know how terrified I was hearing you were in an accident? My baby.” He mumbled on about his woes, but I couldn’t help but crack a smile at him. You didn’t know how you looked, but from his reaction you could guess it was bad. Your smile turned into a laugh at the end of his speech. He still called you a baby even though you were at the prime age of twenty-seven. You weakly maneuvered your bruised hand and stitched arm carefully not to twist your throbbing wrist, “how long have I been out?” Your brother took your hand delicately in both of his, encapsulating it in tender warmth. His calloused fingers grazed over your bruises like he was tracing roads in a map, “a few days, I took time off. Mom and Dad couldn’t make it up to the city.” You groaned, “you told them?” He nodded, “they said they were sorry, but that if you were in my care they could rest easy.” You smiled at him in short delay, the nausea was coming back. When the haze cleared you took in your brother, he was still in his uniform; a distinct sore standing out from the hospital’s dreadful, white walls. He really must’ve rushed here.

A warning knock sounded at the door and then a nurse strolled in the room. “I heard the monitors come back. Welcome back to the world, Ms. Y/L/N.” She looked at your brother and a faint pink dust coated her cheeks. You shook your intertwined hands slightly and wiggled your eyebrows at your brother in an all-knowing smirk. He glares at you momentarily mouthing out, “stop it, not now.” You rolled your eyes at the bachelor, but he politely left your side giving room for the nurse to work in. She checked all over your vitals and monitored receipts form the machines, “everything seems to be fine, a doctor will be in shortly to consult further with you. Are you in any pain currently?” You wanted to shake your head, but that would be a mistake, “I’m sore. My head and side are tender.” She nodded her head, “we’ll give you some more morphine for the meantime, I’ll be back with the doctor.” She picked up her chart and walks toward the exit, but you called out to her, “Where is the man I came in with? Where is Kim Taehyung? Is he alright?” Your brother did a double take, squinting at you while he took a seat next to your bed again. The nurse looked down at her chart then back to you, “I’m sorry miss, I don’t know. I’m sure the doctor will, please ask him then.” She slid the door close, leaving you with more anxiety than before.

Your brother tangled your hands again bringing your attention back to him. Your breathing became rougher and you winced with every short breath. “Calm down Y/N. Taehyung? Do you mean the fox hybrid from back home Taehyung?” You nodded slowly at the pace of a calm grandmother, ”yes…but it’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything soon, I need to know if he’s okay first.” Your brother smoothed over your hair smoothing out the knots, “that’s a promise Y/N.”

Through the same door the nurse returned with a doctor, who looked by far more than exhausted you did, “Hello Ms. Y/L/N.” He went over a routine checkup repeating steps the nurse took earlier, then stood at the edge of your bed flipping through the charts. “Ms. Y/L/N, in your X-ray we found two broken ribs on your left. They didn’t penetrate anything vital but remain stationary for the time being. It will take at least six weeks for them to fully heal. We did an CT scan and MRI just for assurance for anything major, but luckily you have a mild-concussion. That won’t take long to heal, however, you will experience some of the residual effects for a while. We will admit you for ten days and when that is up you will be assessed again to make sure you’re alright to leave. Any questions?” Honestly, he spoke so fast and it was heavy with information most flew over your head; so you turned to your brother for affirmation that he caught it all. He laughed and nodded, “I got all that Y/N. Don’t worry.” You turned back to the doctor, “is Kim Taehyung okay? The man I came in with?”

The doctor looked you over assessing your charts once more and with a huff in his words, “he’s currently in a coma.” Your heart sunk, feeling the thin strings of your heart being pulled to their limits. “He was induced into it. The injuries aren’t severe, but as a precaution to the head injury we’re giving him time to rest.” The harp player in your heart plucked softer, but they still tested your limits. You didn’t have enough in you to cry, but the thoughts were painful enough. In last comfort the doctor could offer, “you’ve been through a lot Ms. Y/L/N. We will do everything in our power to make sure you and Mr. Kim are okay.” The doctor offered you and your brother one last polite bow, then left.

In attempts to ease your mind, your brother spoke about his recent deployment. He went on and on and at the end of each sentence he reminded you how much he missed you. His stories faded into a lull hitting its end, so you started your own. Regressing back into his attentive way, he listened intently like a mother would, but with a face of a stern solider. He clutched onto your hand in intervals of softening and squeezing with each new bit of information. It wasn’t angry, but sweet and patient. You left out some details of the Taehyungs dad, no matter how close you were, there were legalities on the line. He rubbed his thumb over your hand while you come up to date. “You’re truly a strong person Y/N, are you sure you’re my baby sister?” I pouted my lips together holding back the laughter, but it erupted full force. It was easier to laugh, than cry. He still chooses to joke after I revealed a secret to him, only he would do such a thing. It hurts, it hurts so bad to laugh.

My heart rate went through the roof, and a distraught nurse swung into the room. Her forehead was sweaty, probably from running a mini marathon to the room, and panted out, “miss, what’s wrong?” Your brother stood at attention, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing wrong.” She clutched her chest waving to us both, “no, okay—that’s good to know. Excuse me then.” Attempting to catch your breath you nudged your brother as the nurse turned around leaving the room, “go, go chase her. She’s interested in you. Don’t let this chance go to waste.” A blush crossed his face, the first time you’ve ever seen it, so you nudged him further, “I want to sleep. Go home for the night. I’m fine, I’m in good hands. Come back rested.” He looked from the door to you contemplating, but you assured him you truly wanted to sleep. He smiled down at you and saluted, “good night Y/N. I’ll be back tomorrow.” You raised your right arm and saluted him back, “go get her tiger.”

You’re weren’t allowed out of your bed for a few days. Your brother argued with you daily that he should stay the night, but you convince him that staying at home would be better. It puts less pressure on you and you get to sleep easy knowing he’s resting well. On the fourth night you make your way out of the room wobbling down the hall with your IV pole. You steadied the IV bag and hung onto the tubing with every cautious step towards Taehyung’s room. Your hospital gown didn’t give you must protection against the strong AC. You counted the rooms, until the chrome numbers 45730 reflected against the fluorescent lights. You held your breath, feeling a throbbing pulse in your neck and wrist, it was a reminder you were alive. You shoved the pole first, then yourself towards the sliver of a window on the door. Searching the small room, that looked just like yours, your eyes rested on the back of a hunched over woman.

You knocked softly on the door, just enough for the woman to hear. She didn’t respond initially, so you kept knocking. She turned around in her stool and walked towards the door. Tears built up in the corners of your eyes, but you wiped the buds before they trailed any further. You stepped back away from the door as the door slide open. His mother expected the nurse, “nothing has changed since the last time you came in.” She lifted her face revealing darkened circles and reddened eyes. Her face softened up when she saw you. She stepped out into the hallway closing the door behind her, “Y/N, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” The once composed woman became a blubbering mess as she brought you into a hug. You winced and hissed at the pressure, she released you almost immediately. Wiping away tears she pleaded, “oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She truly was lost. You brought her into another hug this time, “he’s going to be okay Mom.” You didn’t know if that was for yourself or her. She looked you over again and again grazing her fingers gently over any blatantly obvious bandages. “I’m fine Mom. I have a minor concussion and fractured ribs, but they said it shouldn’t inhibit me too much.”

Instead of my words bringing her comfort, her frown depended into her smile lines. “Thank you. Thank you for being with Tae. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.” She cupped your face rechecking everything over again. “You saved him.” You bit back and swallowed the knot in your throat. “It’s really nothing Mom.” She wanted to argue back, but she held her tongue. “Do you want to see Tae?” You nodded cautiously, and Mom helped move you into the room.

The first thing you noticed was his peaceful expression. The monitors read out steadily but in a low frequency. The bandages wrapped around his head and arms concealed the healing wounds. You turned to Mom as she grabbed your hand, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more Mom.” She clutched your hand, “no, you did enough Y/N. If it wasn’t for you Tae wouldn’t be here.” She helped steady you into one of the chairs beside Tae. You watched the soft fall and rises his chest. This madness has to stop.

The rest of the night went by with small chatter between you and Mom. She gossiped about her neighbors and how expensive it was to buy milk, anything to keep conversation going. She wore herself out and dozed off with her head bobbing back and forth. You attempted to get up without bothering her, but her ears were still sensitive. “Where are you going?” You pointed to your low IV bag, “I have to get back to my room. I’ll stop by again tomorrow, I’ll even bring my brother, you remember him, right?” Her face lit up slightly, “yes, I do. The kindest boy for miles. I’ll walk you back to your room.” She walked with you making the most of the small distance between the rooms. You reminded her that you were okay as she checked over you for the millionth time. You held back the nausea and pain, she had more than enough to worry about. You finally shooed her away when you were back in bed and a nurse came to check on you for a nightly routine visit.

Poking and prodding woke you up the next morning, when your nurse went through her routine. She was a rosy red and you connected that to the same rosy red on the solider across the room. You just woke up, but anyone could see the hearts in the air. This situation may be damming, but at least one good thing came out of it. “Everything is fine. Your healing is on track with our predictions. With the way things are going you may get to leave early.” The nurse bowed her way out of the room and your brother served you breakfast. You asked how he was doing, your situation was obvious.

After he watched you eat, you told him you wanted to go see Mrs. Kim and Tae. He wanted you to rest more, but with your persistence he walked you to the room. You gripped onto his arm, while he dragged your IV pole. Once you were stable, your brother knocked softly on the door in three rasp. The soft call of his mother allowed us in. Mom embraced your brother without an inkling of a greeting. She was overjoyed to see him, mumbling the same way when she first saw you. They lead you to sit first, then Mom wouldn’t let your brother go.

He recounted everything he could while catching glimpses at Taehyung. She was so impressed by his achievements in the military, “my son has really grown up!” Your brother blushed madly, a bit taken aback by the extent of her compliments. She asked you, “Is it okay if I steal your brother and go to the cafeteria for some food? I haven’t eaten yet. Will you be okay?” You nodded and even jokingly,” please take him.” He glared at you, but you shrugged the best you could more with your right side. She smiled dipping out of the room to recount even more with her estranged son.

You sat next to the bed and took Taehyung’s condition in. His breathing was shallow and the bruises on his face were deep. You looked down at your fist, saddened that you couldn’t do more for Taehyung at the moment. You sat in silence listening to the rhythmic beeping of his heart monitor. You slowly raised your hand to bring it to wrap around his. You spoke softly, “Tae Tae, remember that time I fought off those boys and saved you. We even got ice cream afterwards. I think back to a lot of the times we shared together. Those were my happiest moments of my life. I haven’t been the same since you left. I was so shocked to see you. You’ve grown up and turned into such an amazing person. It’s also great that you turned out to be pretty handsome.” Pausing in your monologue to laugh at how sappy you were being, “I really missed you Tae.”

I plead into the phone, “Uncle please…don’t hang up! I need you to tell me what happened!” The man on the other end of the line begged back, “I really don’t know what happened afterwards. Look, I’ll talk to you later okay?” I spoke into the phone with more force, “Uncle, don’t hang up. I need to know what happened to my father!” The line went dead, all he was left with the dial tone.

The ringing faded into a familiar voice. “Tae, Taehyung, Tae!” The child he once looked at wasn’t young anymore, she was a beautiful woman that sat across from me. She rested her head on her hand watching me intently. I rambled on, “they didn’t think that a hybrid could be educated enough or—or,” raising his voice,” have the logic enough to think on a human level!” I could see the conflict in her eyes the way she watched me as I let emotions spill. She spoke back to me, but I only caught every other word, “I think back…happiest moments of my life…I missed you Tae.” She began fading again. I stood up in a rush pushing the chair to the floor behind me. I lunged towards her, but she dissipated, and I fell into darkness.

Suddenly Taehyung gasped air violently into his lungs deeply, mumbling out words. In his mind he yelled out, but in reality it was a jumble of incomprehensible words. His pupils retracted like a cat hissing, the light was sudden and painful. You shifted closer to his bed taking his hand in yours, “Tae, it’s okay, calm down Tae.” His eyes relaxed and squeezed your hand in relief. This was real. He croaked out, “Y/N? Where am I?” He tried to sit up but you stopped him, “don’t get up, I’ll call the nurse and your mom.” You stood to reach to press the button to call the nurse, but he stopped you grabbing onto your wrist. “What happened Y/N? Explain things to me first?”

Hesitating on the thought you sat back down and told him everything you could remember. You mentioned the man with the black mask and hat, but you couldn’t elaborate any further. He listened patiently and then followed up groggily, “and you? Are you okay? Are you in pain?” Answering honestly, “I have a few fractured ribs and a minor concussion. It’s not serious. The medicine dulls the pain, and I’ll be out of her soon.” He winced when his expression turned sour, “I’m glad you’re okay.” Your hand stopped mid reach for the button again. This whole time he’s been nothing but uptight and mean towards you. The old Taehyung was peeking through the hard exterior of a mask he put on. You titled your head, “I’m glad you woke up Tae.”

You buzzed in the nurse and his mom came back with your brother shortly. It was another reunion all over. The atmosphere was so nice. His mom, Tae, your brother and you were laughing and chatting like it was an afternoon back at their house on their low platform hanging out.

You spent more time in Taehyung’s room than your own. Mom was peeling fruits for you both, when a knock sounded at the door. Taehyung sat in his bed nibbling on slices of apples, “come in.” Two familiar faces peeked around the corner, the teen was a bit reluctant, but he brightened up when he saw you. “Mrs. Miller?” David came up next to you, “Ms. Y/L/N, are you okay? Tell me who did this to you!” You giggled at his protective agenda. Taehyung eyed the kid, “hey settle down kid. She’s stronger than any man.” You side eyed Taehyung, it was hard to know if that was a compliment or something back handed. He cheekily smirked at you. Mrs. Kim greeted the woman and offered her a seat next to you. She looked you up and down and took your hand in hers, “Ms. Y/L/N. I’m sorry this happened to you. Will you be okay?” She held her voice strong despite the shakiness behind it. David placed a hand on your shoulder. I reassured them with a nod. Mrs. Miller cleared her throat, “I’ve decided to go ahead with the appeal. After I heard what happened to you, I don’t think I can sit back anymore.” You righted yourself too fast agitating your tender ribs, “wait, really? Are you sure Mrs. Miller?” Her eyes glistened with tears splaying her fingers out in a fan across her breast bone. Her ears stood at attention, “yes, they need to be stopped.” Mrs. Kim set down her plate rounding around the bed smoothing a hand over the back of the woman. You turned to Taehyung who was staring at you. Adoration filled his eyes as the window light filtered in his eyes. David distracted you by telling you all about what he was doing in school and how he visits that sandwich stand often now that the auntie gives him discounts now.

But of course, nothing good last for long.

You were sitting facing the door listening to the banter go back and forth. A flash of black burned past the rectangle window. It was a blimp, but it was enough to notice something out of the corner of your eye. Your brother was so busy telling them a story that no one else noticed. The shadow passed by once more and stared at you for a moment. You recognized the face, or at least those same eyes. They walked away when you locked eyes. You dropped the fruit piece you were nibbling on onto your lap. Your nostrils flared, you couldn’t let him to get away again, not after he hurt Tae. “Hey, uhm, I’m going to pick up a sweater from my room. I’m a little cold. I’ll be right back.” Your brother broke conversation, “I’ll come with you.” You insisted, “no, no, I’m fine it’s only a few doors down anyways.” He glared at you, but yours won out on him. Tae whined out, “Y/N, let your brother go with you.” You turned your glare to Tae, “I need to do things on my own. I’m almost a 100% better now anyways.”

You slid out to the empty hallway and saw the tall figure walking down and turned at the end of the corridor. You speed walked following as fast as you could with your obnoxious pole. You paused before you rounded the corner, peering over the edge into the empty hallway. You stepped out into the open and frantically moving towards the other end. You were certain he walked this way. A calloused hand emerged from the darkness and clasped around your mouth. His other hand reached for your forearm and ripped out your IV. You screamed under his palm, the warm feeling blood and solution ran down your arm. He sucked you into the dark and drug you through the exit doorway into a cement stairwell.

He forced you up against the wall with his thick forearm blocking your airway. From the impact alone, it was disorienting your vision blacken briefly. When you opened your eyes immediately afterwards, black dots danced in your eyes. You could feel the stiches on your arm ripping, but most importantly your broken ribs felt like razors in your chest. You grasped the arm that was on your neck and dug your nails deep into his skin. This man had every intention to kill you.

You took a good look at him this time, a freckle dotted under his right eye and one eyebrow was partially missing. He must also still be recovering from the accident. With that in mind you removed one of your claws shimming in between the both of you, and dug your thumb into the guys eye. The squishy texture sent goosebumps along your skin, but you didn’t stop until he let up on your throat. He stepped away from you hunching over cradling his eyes.

You caught your breath but didn’t waste time and lunged towards him. You started kicking, beating him to pin him to the floor. He looked up at you with one eye and you screamed, “Who are you? Who sent you?” He didn’t respond knocking you off with a punch across the face. The adrenaline was running through your veins and you were angrier than ever. You kicked him in the stomach and rolled him over to be under you again. You landed a few hits but gained traction and punted you off. He stumbled onto his feet making his way down the staircase.

You weren’t going to let him go without an answer.

You clutched your side sliding on the cement floor but followed him. You sped down the flight of stairs but crashed straight into the wall. Your vision faded to black momentarily and the acid was building up in your throat. You felt like throwing up with a sudden rush of nausea. You panted in a cold sweat as you heard the footsteps of the man get farther and farther and eventually the door to the parking garage open. The silence filled you. You were in so much pain that only silent screams left you.

Your brother watched the clock. It’s been taking longer than it should have for you to grab a sweater. He stood up and went out to check up on you. Tae’s mom insisted on going instead, but he said, “I’m a special agent, Mom. I think I can handle wrestling a sweater.” The hallway was empty no grubby girl with an IV pole in sight. He made his way down to your room, but he opened it to an equally empty space. The private bathroom in the room was unoccupied as well. Goosebumps formed over his flesh, every sense honed into. He just felt it his baby sister was in danger.

He went back into the hallway and down the opposite direction. He looked up and down the halls of the ward for you. As he turned the corner out of a inner hallway he noticed the reflection of a fallen IV pole sticking out the hall. He ran towards it and the clear it got; the IV bag and tubing was leaking solution on the floor. There were specks of all sizes of blood that trailed into a metal exit door.

He slammed open the door with his shoulder. He looked around only to take a second look down the stairwell to see you breathing rapidly with blood soaking your gown. “Y/N!” He skipped every other step and made his way to you. “What happened?” He pulled your head up to look at him, but you could barely keep your eyes open. He picked you up in his arms and raced back up the stairs. He ran down the hall yelling for help. All staff in the hall that wasn’t immediately occupied approached him. They directed him to take you back into your room.

Tae’s mom heard the commotion in the hallway and opened the door to look outside. Her jaw dropped as she saw you in your brother’s arms with your arms limply swinging. She covered her mouth with his hand and yelled, “Y/N!” Taehyung sat up from his bed and stumbled his way behind his mother supporting himself with one arm on the wall. His other arm was in a sling, but he peered over and saw you. His heart dropped seeing you almost lifeless in your brother’s arm. Your brother sped by with a whole medical team trailing towards your room. His mother turned to him and said, “Tae, you shouldn’t be out of bed!” Her voice was unstable as she tried to scold him. She was equally as worried. He tried pushing past her to go to you, but his nurse stopped him. “Sir, she’s going to be taken care of, please return to your bed.” He looked at his mother and struggled back into bed. He knew he couldn’t do anything at the moment. He threw a pillow across the room, he felt truly helpless.

It took the medical staff an hour to stabilize you, but you came back to life. The security in the hospital escalated. Taehyung, in his decrepit state, stayed by your side guarding your room with your brother. The cops, along with Jungkook, questioned both Taehyung and you on the previous accident and today’s accident. As upset as it made Jungkook, he told us they weren’t able to recover anything from the accident. The site was clean. You sighed in relief internally, luckily you had back up documents at the office, credit cards were replaceable, so the only loss was time. Someone was sweeping things under the rug, someone very close to us.

A four days later you were discharged from the hospital, but Taehyung already left since hybrids heal faster. He wasn’t a hundred percent, but he was able to do basic things again without being supervised. He stayed with his mom, not wanting to burden Jimin and Hoseok, since they were busy prepping for the upcoming tour. It was weird living back with his mom, but he realized how much he missed it when she would cook meals for him. Your brother took you back home and was on guard 24/7. You assured him that he shouldn’t worry and it was rare for a criminal to come back for a third attempt. The punk would be stupid to attack again so soon. Your brother requested further time off to take care of you. The workaholic in you kept up with the office by working from home. You kept in contact with Taehyung, updating what little you found out.

A week later, when you weren’t constantly nauseous and could breath normally, you made it back to the office. Your brother couldn’t take off any more time to insist for you to stay home. You took the bus to work and walked in your second home. The receptionist came up to you and hugged you, “I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you’re back. Mr. Kim has been living in his office and the courthouses. He’s trying to catch up on all the cases he’s been behind on. The other lawyers didn’t want to take on his work.” With a scowl you made your way to your desk, greeted by your team. Kibum held onto you, but Krystal peeled him off to get her shy turn at a hug. Once they let you go you left for Tae’s office. You knocked on Taehyung’s door and he answered curtly; he was back to his normal self. You stepped in, also stepping back into your professional attitude as well, you closed the door and called to him. “Mr. Kim, I have the documents and cases you asked for.” He looked up and took them. You looked around noticing the multitude of coffee cups and pillow and blanket on the couch. You looked at him and spoke, “Mr. Kim have you been staying here.” He hummed in response not breaking his concentration on work.

He must’ve let the words go in and out his ears. You knocked on his desk making the tired fox look up at you. “Tae, why are you over working yourself?” Like a melting candle, his scrunched expression softened. The fox whined outstretching his hand towards you. You laughed at his cute antics. You walked around his desk and the suffering fox rested his head on your stomach. He wrapped his arm around your waist clutching to the back of your blazer. He nuzzled his head and in the best way you knew how to comfort him, you combed your fingers through his hair. It was greasy and matted, “how long have you been here?” He mumbled a number into you, truly it didn’t matter, he needed to go home. “Tae, go home. We can take care of it here. I’ve done enough work at home, we will be fine.” An audible growl left him as he pulled away, “no. I have so much to finish.” You brought both of his cheeks into your hands and he brought his to rest at your sides. “We will win, but we’re not going to win if the hero can’t fight his own needs. Go home Taehyung.”

He pulled you into his lap and nuzzled his face into your neck. He traced the edge of his nose up and down your jaw. “Just give me a moment with you. I missed you.” I almost lost you, he spoke internally to himself. You allowed him the time he needed, because you needed this too. You wiped away at his dark circles hoping they would go, but they only got deeper when he smiled. After many back and forth of “five more minutes”, Tae finally went home.

He gripped the frame in his hand, petting over the wooden edges as if it was a cat. From a rumble to a catastrophic roar, he fast balled the memory across the room. The two attendants in the room remained motionless standing at attention with their hands behind their back. His perfectly gelled hair strung out of place as he steadied himself with two open palms on his desk. The rumbling anger of his heart beat fast in his ears. He could feel his instincts brimming. He fought against the memory, but they just clawed at him. Flashes of his mother smiling at him calling him his familiar name, “Bo, my love.” Then flashes of documents, “Sexual Assault and Rape Report.” The print flashed by faster in his mind the more he struggled against it, “hybrid…victim of random circumstance…child was carried to term.” He scratched the surface of his desk leaving imprints and curls of iron in its remain. A sergeant spoke with hesitation, “Sir, we can’t dig Yates out of this one. He was caught with too many witness.” The police chief smoothed back his fallen hair breathing and seething through his teeth. “Get him out!” He paced around the room manically, “it’s all that foxes fault. It’s because of him and his…god forsaken family!”

“It’s been a chaotic drop in the stocks industry ever since Yates arrest. His lawyers spoke out claiming his innocence, and they will pursue any charges full on. Yates was released this morning on bail.” The stream switched to a video of Yates being wheelchaired out of prison. His face was covered by a mask protecting him from the numerous flashes coming from the hungry photographers. The same anchor voices over the video, but you stopped paying attention to her voice. You watched the footage of Yates play his game.

The door of the break room opened followed by the clanking of the coffee pot kissing another mug. Taehyung stirred his cup of coffee until it was appropriate to taste. He picked up his cup and stood shoulder to shoulder next to you. Ever since the accident, you’ve spent more time together. It was more like he was never too far from you, always within his peripheral. The new warmth didn’t distract you from reading the dialogue as the woman chatters on about useless details. You didn’t bother turning to him, “want to go home?” His ears twitched choking on his coffee doing a double take at the insinuation, “what?” You looked over at him brushing his loose bangs behind his human ears, “you’ve caught up on all the other cases, let’s go back to the countryside and find the shelter your parents were at.” Taehyung ran over his schedule in his head brushing his tail on the back of your thigh, “I can only take off this weekend. We can go Friday and come back Sunday night. We’ll be back by Monday.” You nodded, “I’ll bring some work with me too then, we’ll make it a work weekend.” His ear flattened, he wanted to spend time with you as well, not just work the whole time.

Taehyung came by to pick you up bright and early Friday morning. The drive will take two hours but who’s to say about traffic. You wanted to rub your eyes to cast away the sleep, but you already had light makeup on. The handsome fox stepped out of his car with aviators on, but he’s dressed casually wearing jeans and a white button up. You looked down at yourself with the same idea of casual wear being jeans and a white shirt. You joked before greeting him, “should I go change? Were matching.” He laughed taking in the resemblance, “no I think it’ll help me keep track of you.” You scoffed at his jester but forgave him instantly. You truly didn’t want to walk all the way back up the flight of stairs. Like a gentleman, he took your luggage for you placing it in the trunk. You set your messenger bag with your laptop and files on the passenger seat floor and find yourself situating in the seat.

In the first half of the drive you called your parents, wanting to stop by for a short visit, but they were busy. They said they would leave some goodies by the door for us and call again before we would leave. The second half was just chatter over the radio, there wasn’t a dull moment with Tae. You found out more about him. The same comfort and ease we shared as kids came back like there wasn’t a gap in time. The closer we got to our hometown, the chattier Tae became.

We walked down the familiar dirt road, instead this time we were unfamiliar. The air still smelled clean and the acres of farmland around us still bared fruit and vegetation. The trenches we created in the road from our back and forth journeys have filled back up and the road was flat. Taehyung parked away purposely because we thought the road wouldn’t be suitable for vehicles. You watched Tae’s tail flick like a hungry flame behind him. His lip was red from his teeth gnawing at the flesh, making the bud of his lower lip plump to its maximum. You thinned your own and laced your fingers in his bigger hand. Instantly, his hand encased yours and you ran your thumb over his knuckles. You slowed before you came around the bend in the road, “do you want to take another lap around the road?” He squeezed your hand bringing it up to his cheek then his nose for a moment. You flinched a little at his hot breath on the back of your hand. A hot blush was creeping up your neck turning your ears carmine. If this was going to comfort him, you could yield.

“No, let’s go.” He pulled you with him but kept his pace slow and even. Around the corner stood the weathered white house. It stood up against time, as if it was patiently waiting for us to come back to it. The grass in the yard was over grown, the paint on the walls chipped and the windows had at least three inches worth of dust. It was still home. Taehyung smiled towards you, “I was worried I wouldn’t remember this place, but one look and it’s all there.” You couldn’t help returning the expression, so you beamed back at him, “welcome home Tae.”

The picket fence was rusty, but it swung open with a creak and squeak from the unused metal hinges. He switched our hands, making sure he held onto you some way, and fished for the house key his mother handed to him. The key turned in the lock, but it took a grunt and a shove of a shoulder to turn and open.

A cloud of dust fell on you both. You coughed and waved away the dust stepping in after Tae. The house looked untouched. An open crayon box sat on the coffee table and an unfinished drawing next to it. You took Tae’s hand again patting it with your other, “let’s search around and clean it up before it gets dark.” You tested the light switches flicking them and after a few attempts they lit, but they faded not too long after. “We’re going to have to work fast.” You followed Taehyung around the house going through every room. The house was stuck in a time warp of twenty years ago. The furniture and style of the home was outdated. Taehyung’s ears twitched occasionally when he would pick up things, but he would set them back down. He saved his parent’s room for last. He opened the door to a messy room. The closet doors and drawers were open with clothes strung everywhere. Empty picture frames splayed across the bed. Even though you knew exactly what happened, it was hard looking at the mess. She really was in a hurry the day they left. You traced your fingers over the frame picking it to place it back next to the bed side table. Pick up the pieces, and eventually you’ll see the puzzle. You turned back to the stoic fox, his eyes were busy taking everything in. He said nothing the whole time we went through the house.

You came up behind him, gliding your hands through the gap between his arms and sides clutching him tight. “Are you okay?” He removed your hands turning you in his embrace. He brought you into his chest nuzzling against your hair. You were the only familiar scent in this home, everything else felt foreign to him, even if he remembered these walls. The only memories coming back was the one he shared with you and the rest of the fireflies. He spoke into your hair, “thank you for coming with me.” You smoothed your hand up and down his back, “before you thank me, let’s get things done.” He nodded into your hair taking in your scent as much as he could before you go to work. The blush has expanded past your ears for sure.

You set your phone up on the kitchen counter and connected it to Bluetooth and put on cleaning music. Taehyung twitched a brow to you watching your corny dance moves. You swayed to the beat as you tied up your hair into a messy bun. You mouthed along with the lyrics and obnoxiously pointed to him. He hunched over laughing, but soon joined you in a small dance in the living room. With a few beats you bumped the side of yours his hip with his, eliciting giggles out of you both. The house felt alive again. Your parents lent you cleaning supplies, along with some other goodies they left outside their door for you to pick up. You felt like Cinderella sweeping across the floor as Taehyung opened the windows letting light in. Taehyung left momentarily and parked out front bringing our luggage inside. You kept cleaning and by the time the sun set, you were content with the kitchen, living room and one room being cleaned out.

Taehyung was outside cleaning the patio, while you cleaned up the aftermath of tonight’s dinner, two cups of ramen. You cut up some fruit for dessert that your mom gave you earlier. You carried the plate out the door waiting for Taehyung to lay the matt over the low platform. The wood was old and splintering, but with a little love it would come back to life. Taehyung set the latten in the center of the matt and tapped the empty spot next to him.

You adjusted yourself on the soft cloth. Taehyung let the tranquility take over. He laid on his back crossing his forearms to a makeshift pillow under his head, “I haven’t been this relaxed in a while.” In his head he counted the stars but lost track after the twentieth when all the lights in the sky clustered too close together. You bit into an apple savoring the sweet crunch. You looked towards the tree line recounting the many times you’ve played there, where the stream you played in was bone dry. The place you meet Tae. “Tae, do you remember the first day we met?” He hummed in question not hearing you the first time. “do you remember how we met?” Tae inhaled a deep breath leaving it in a heavy sigh, “I really don’t remember it well, but I do remember the night where I told everyone what the stars were. Kids really do believe everything.” I laughed handing him an apple slice, “yeah, we may have been kids, but…it helped me through a lot of times.”

He glanced over to you watching your expression. Because of specs on the lantern, the orange light displayed a disco ball effect on her; like fireflies dancing on her skin. The perk of her nose, the flutter of her lashes, the petals that were her lips all hypnotized him. Her hair was a mess, fly-a-ways sticking out of her messy ponytail, but she looked perfect. The perfect combination of calmness and calamity. He traced the contours of her face with his eyes, mapping out things he’s never had much chance to do before. He wanted…no…needed her to want him too.

With all the experience of partying and dating he had, nothing could compare to the confidence he chalked up now. “You know, Y/N, if you get too comfortable with me, I think I should have you call me Mr. Kim again.”

The soft atmosphere broke, you couldn’t help laughing and hard. It was hilarious now thinking back to Taehyung, you meant Mr. Kim, the stern lawyer in his almighty office. He feigned being upset with your taunting, so he sat up. “What’s so funny Y/N?” A cheeky smile bloomed on his lips as he inched closer. You fell on your back laughing, “sorry Mr. Stern-Lawyer, I guess I am forgetting.” He swooped in tickling your sides violently. You could hardly breath and tears were brimming in your eyes. You placed your hands on his chest pushing him away, “Tae, stop! I can’t—I can’t breathe!” He rested both hands by head giggling to himself as he loomed over you.

Once you could open your eyes clearly enough, the fox above you was staring at you with something else in his eyes. Something you’ve never seen in them before.

He studied your face carefully, he watched your pupils expand and contract. He could hear your heartbeat in his ears. Your lips were parted glossy like dewy petals. You swallowed hard, the position was making your mouth dry. You spoke out breathily, “Tae—.” He dipped down brushing your noses together, you could feel the peach fuzz of his chin rubbing against yours. He nudged your noses together causing you to arch your head back. He watched your lips move with his name on them. His elbows caved down and caged you in even further bringing your hands to your chest. His body heat radiated to yours. A low content purr grumbled in his throat as his tail stiffened. He whispered your name against your lips, before he pecked lightly. The heat from him started a fire in your stomach. He came back for more, kissing you soft but hard each time. Your hands slid up cupping his neck and cheek tangling in his hair, anything to bring him further into the kiss. You could feel the rumbles of his purr from your hand on his neck.

You had to pull away for a breath of air, but he couldn’t wait long, so he began peppering kissing around your face. Once on each eye, each cheek, your forehead, then nose appreciating all of you. I had to, “Mr. Kim, this isn’t appropriate office behavior.” He kissed you again, and again seconds melted into minutes. He took your breath away.

He pulled away from your bruising lips looking you directly in the eyes, “I’ve made up my mind, don’t call me that…ever….” I slapped his chest laughing, he was insufferable. He pecked my lips one more before he flopped on his back sighing in relief. You didn’t quite catch what he said, but it sounded similar to the word, “mine.” His. The both of you were flushed, but you were especially nervous to look at him. He laced his fingers with yours and his tail tickled your thigh. The music playing from your phone filled the atmosphere with lyrics, even though they weren’t our own, they said everything for us.

Under the fireflies, this moment was more than perfect.

You cleared out some space in the living room and laid out your sleeping bags. We couldn’t trust any of the mattresses. We eyed eachother blushing occasionally thinking back to the kiss before. You crawled into your sleeping back, letting him turn off the lantern. The fireflies were dancing in your stomach. You fell asleep and somewhere through the night the bags came together, and our hands intertwined. It was admittedly the best sleep he’s ever had.

In the early hours of the morning you’re at the kitchen table typing away at your laptop and Taehyung rested his head on your shoulder reading the open webpage. “We should head out soon.” He nodded passing you a quick breakfast, more ramen. Within thirty minutes you were on the road, we drove forty-five minutes to get there. “Riverwood County Shelter,” the words read out boldly on the sign in their lawn before Taehyung turned into the parking lot of the dreadful looking building. The town was nice, but there was something off. Maybe it was the clear bias towards this place? No, it felt too quiet.

You looked over to Tae before you went inside, “if you want me to go inside I can, you can wait in the car.” He shook his head, “no, I want to see the place my parents grew up.” Taehyung held open the door for you, immediately leading into a receptionist lobby. A woman with glasses hanging low on her nose sat behind the curved desk. She typed away at her computer and slowly blinked up towards us. She did not want to be here, that was for sure. Taehyung approached the desk, “Hello, we’re from—.” You stepped harshly on Taehyung’s toe. A huff left him along with a deep grunt, he side eyed you full of questions. You took over conversation, “hello, were looking for a…baby to adopt. I can’t have children of my own and I always wanted to have a child with my husband.” You wrapped Taehyung’s hand in yours and brought his hand up to your lips. You pretended to blink away tears. The woman at the receptionist desk blinked back at you slowly. Taehyung seemed to catch on halfway, “My wife and I really want a fox hybrid. Something that would look like me, maybe.” The woman began typing shortly then stood up, “let me get the file and ask my manager if they’re letting people observe today. I’ll be right back.” She picked up an empty clipboard and pen disappearing down a nearby hallway.

You waited for her footsteps to fade before you rounded the desk taking her seat. Taehyung harshly whispered, “what are you doing Y/N?” You brushed hair off your shoulder, “hush, be on the lookout. Warn me if she’s coming back.” You jammed the USB into the monitor and went to town on their database. His eyes were working a thousand miles per hours, “when did you bring that?” You raised your brow at him, “there’s a lot you don’t know about me Tae.” A smirk crossed his face cheekily leaning on the table, “a man should know his wife.”

You willed away the blush crossing your cheeks and searched through their outdated system. You transferred the files of employees from twenty years ago, hoping it would give some intel about the people who knew his parents. You pulled out your phone bringing up the two long numbers that his mother gave you. Their ID numbers. A young photo of his mother popped up and in big read letters above the biographic information read, “MISSING.” You searched for his father’s data, but your fingers stopped typing on the keyboard when footsteps approached in the hall.

Taehyung winked at you, “leave it to me, honey.” He walked towards the receptionist, “you were able to convince your manager, right? My wife…she’s really been upset with the whole infertile thing. I can’t live with the anger anymore or the tears.” He spewed out the first things that came to his mind, using his years of practice as a lawyer to spin a believable story. Your fingers flew across the keys. You unplugged the USB and shoved it into your pocket tucking it deep. You closed all the documents back to what it originally was and stood leaning against the desk attempting to look distressed. “Dear, you know what I don’t want to look today. I don’t think I can handle it.” Taehyung came running up to your side, “but honey.” You held up your hand twisting your face up as if you were going to cry, “no…I can’t.” You pushed through the doors to hear a belated sorry towards the receptionist from Tae. You both got in the car and drove away.

Back at home you pulled out your laptop again and plugged in the USB immediately. Taehyung sat next to you watching the new information load in multitude of files. You passed him the laptop allowing him to go over the info first. He put on his glasses reading the information intently. When he scrolled past a photo of his father he stayed on it studying the face. “I honestly don’t remember his face besides the one in the photo. He was gone a lot as a kid. He looks so much like I do here.” You leaned into his side resting your chin on his shoulder, “look he has the same freckle on his nose like you.” You booped his nose right on the freckle. He rubbed his nose, “I guess we really do look alike.”

He opened file after file, you ended up working longer than expected. You missed the timing to go over to your parents for dinner. You opted to make a small meal, something besides ramen. You were prepping when he called you back over to the laptop. “Hon—Y/N, look tell me you see what I see?” The image of the man before you was familiar, but without his signature trademark. Under the security guard’s employee archive, was the face of a brutish man, but he lacked the scars on his face. As you leaned in forward your hand almost slipped and missed the table, “isn’t that the police chief? Police chief Archer..Robert Archer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 03/14/2018:[The Firefly that Guards the Fox 7](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/171923924108/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-7)


	8. Chapter 8

Nearly missing the rickety chair, you planted yourself haphazardly halfway as you slid the laptop in front of you. “Y/N?” Taehyung eyed your expression and how you frantically scrolled for more information. His tail twitched behind him unnerved by your silence. His sensitive nose picked up the saline building up in you. He could see the dewiness leaving your skin to replace itself as gloss in your eyes. “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

Your fingers didn’t seem to match up to your eager heart as you clicked on the image to zoom in on the picture. The world seemed to warp around you until the only clarity you had was his name. You scrolled up to read the name again, “Robert…Archer.” Your stomach churned into something more acidic seeing his face. Archer—that exact face you saw all those years ago standing outside the front door.

The flimsy chair scratched against the wooden floor as you rounded the table to glide the sliding door open to the backyard. You nearly clipped your shin on the platform bed before you stood in the center of the yard. The dead grass felt like needles pricking your feet until you stopped swaying. With a bowed head you gulped hard trying to catch a breather, but it felt like someone robbed your voice. Like a Christian lifting their head to the heavens for redemption, the bright, white light blinded you. It cut off all your senses for what seemed like hours, until your eyes no longer hit that sweet spot in the prism. The feeling in your throat was getting worse as it tightened fighting an outburst of tears.

The tree line wasn’t too far off and the peeling white fence molded into its once pristine border. The excess browning pine needles on the floor cleared to a mossy floor. The residual ghost took their post in this theatrical reenactment. The aggressive knocks sounded at the front door, then the husky mumbles of commands came after the knocks called action. Distant sounds of hounds barking filled the once silent air, replacing the harmonious birds chirping into something inauspicious. Shadows of hound hybrids rounded you and the yard, searching the ground for something with their nose as their tails were straight at attention. A pound officer in khaki with a stern face walked in your direction. His eyes were soulless, staring straight behind you—through you. His steps were forceful and purposeful. You could count the lashes on his eyes as he approached, then he walked directly through you. It was like he pulled your soul along with him and out as if he had a soul magnet as he walked onwards. He continued on his theatrics, but chills of the past threaded into your shaking hands. The sensation encompassed your very being, enough that the cold seeped into your marrow.

“The bitch and the pup…no one’s here? The mongrel must’ve told his family somehow.” You didn’t dare squint or will away the voices, you had to remember. The show must go on. The cold slowly willing away by the fire finding its rekindled self, the numbness willing away as the actors kept playing. You just needed to focus in on one voice. You had to remember for Taehyung’s sake and yours.

The hounds had their nose to the dirt, sniffing the toys littering the yard. You watched as the hounds looked up to the treetops as the leaves rustled. You held your breath a second time watching the intense gaze of the hounds. You stumbled on the uneven ground as a hound sniffing the ground at your feet was pushing you out of its way. You followed the same unstable trajectory with uneven sanity wanting to find Archer.

The man who haunted your memories.

Taehyung stood in the doorway watching closely as your eyes wondered as if figures danced around you. He couldn’t see anything, he didn’t understand, “Y/N, what’s wrong? Y/N—Y/n—.” You rounded the house towards the front door catching the tall, gelled back haired man cursing at his underlings. “That fucker is going to pay, five years of searching….no one escapes me.” The ghost of him was seething through his teeth.

He looked up from the brim of his cap and you could see the embroidered scars on his face. The sunlight didn’t seem to reach him casting him in an unholy blue shadow. There he was…the familiar figure that stared down at you at the holding cell. The man who stared at you in the court room. The man who loomed over you at the station. The man who could look up from the brim of his hat and paralyze all your nerves. It was him. The fuzzy pixilated face of a man took form into a monster of the present: Robert Archer.

Your hand trailed up your chest tracing over the bump of your sternum to clutch at your throat. Your body felt sweaty and fiery to the touch. You held on tight, fighting back for air in an odd way to sooth yourself. You could feel those three, deep scars on your neck like slits that mirrored Archers. Burning away and digging deeper than those claws on his face could’ve ever made them into your throat. The trembling hand made its way to your mouth stifling the sobs that made your throat constrict with every forced breath. Tears rolled over each finger but never made it to drip off the edge. The thick ice that coated your heart was melting away with each memory. The ugly face of truth that was covered by thick ice was revealing himself.

The answer was there all along.

Taehyung twisted you around pulling you closer to him into his familiar warmth. He removed your hand replacing it with his own to wipe the vicious tears, “Y/N, talk to me! What’s wrong?” He searched your eyes for anything, any reason. He needed reasons. You inhaled deeply and fast, air returning to your lungs like he broke the spell. “Tae…I—I know, I know who….” His eyes kept searching for the treasure in your pleading eyes, that answer. “Who? Know what Y/n?” You gulped hard feeling your neck constrict again against the fresh peeled open scars. Your hands tightened on his shirt, fisting until your knuckles turned white, “…who took your father Tae.” The weight on your shoulders felt too heavy. The heavens opened up, unleashing all their demons to drag you down with the host being called guilt.

His eyes widened carefully searching your eyes, “what?” Through broken words and pointing at the ghost of the monster, “He…Archer was there the day when I went back to your house to look for you. He—He was asking where you were…and your mother! He’s the one that took your father Tae! He just has to be. It’s him Tae!”

If the words laid heavy on you, then it struck him with double the strength. Archer…the man who he came to play pretend friendly in front of out of respect. The man who was said to protect everyone. Archer! He knew from the moment his instincts never betrayed him, he was a cruel man after all. He finally had the missing puzzle piece or a path to follow, but the information felt so sudden. It felt like a big sneeze he felt coming but was never able to satisfy that release. However, at the same time, a sense of relief, an indigestible bittersweet feeling.

He pulled you closer and held you in his arms, rubbing your back attempting some soothing words. It was all he could offer, “thank you, y/n. Thank you Firefly. You’ve done well, you’ve worked hard. Thank you. We’re going to figure things out okay.”

He rested his chin on her shoulder head bowed where his ears tickled your cheek. He stayed there long enough until your sobs died down. He looked out towards the tree line, his eyes narrowed and subconsciously hugging you tighter. He felt this overwhelming need to protect you. His hand trailed up your back to rest on the back of your head in comfort. “Let’s go back home. We’ll figure this out. We can do more if we get more minds together. You did a great job getting all that info, let me take care of the rest okay?” You tried pulling back, but his tight embrace wouldn’t let you, so you spoke against his collarbone. “No, I’m still going to help. I promised. You promised.” He nodded chuckling slightly at your stubborn attitude returning, “okay, but let’s go home Firefly.” You nodded wrapping your arms around his waist holding him in an embrace. Again, he found himself without words, so instead he pulled away to kiss your forehead. His way of sealing the deal with promises of tomorrow. You were his tomorrow.

His eyes narrowed again as he rested his chin on your forehead searching the horizon. He had promises to fulfill.

 

Your sneakers squeaked against the pristine kept flooring. The lighting was dim and warm against the white walls of the fifth floor. The apartment lived up to the standard upscale of the neighborhood. You stopped in front of door 576 checking your phone one last time so you didn’t knock on the wrong door. You knocked wearing your knuckles thin for four knocks. The lock on the other side shifted moments later and pried open to red-orange ears sticking through the sliver teasingly. I bit back a giggle, “Tae, open the door.” Taehyung pulled the door back fully muttering out, “you’re no fun Y/N,” to reveal a freshly showered fox.

You blinked away before you were caught gawking at his damp white shirt sticking to his toned body. He smiled leaning against the doorway wiggling his brows, “welcome home honey.” You jabbed his side with two fingers and he curled over whining at the pinch. “Bad day honey?” He grunted it out, but side eying you with a faux hurt outlook. His cheeky smile was still there. I noticed the familiar bunny ears on a tall figure approaching behind Taehyung, “Honey—.” You covered his proactive mouth with a fast hand as you pushed past Taehyung slipping out of your shoes.

“Hey Jungkook!” The bunny skidded down the hall risky business style bringing you into a tight hug, “glad you could make it Y/N! Was it easy to find this place?” I nodded, “a few detours on the bus, but no big deal.” He nodded setting me down ruffling my already poorly laced ponytail. He made his way back towards the living room when voices called out to him. Taehyung leaned in his voice right next to your ear, “I told you I could’ve picked you up. Don’t be shy honey.” You whipped around to be face to face with the slick fox. You avoided that comment all together banking on the moment you had alone with him in the hallway. “Are you okay…this is a big deal?” He nodded touched by the curious look in your eyes. He approached trying to wrap his arms around you, but the voices in the living room rose reminding you weren’t alone. You avoided his scandalous embrace by wiggling out by adjusting the strap on your messenger bag.

However, you were feeling a bit cheeky yourself, so you leaned into him whispering, equally as teasing, “behave yourself kit, or I’ll have to punish you.” You didn’t bother looking back to him, but you could feel his slimy eyebrows doing a dance ready for a secondary comeback. You beelined it towards the living room.

Familiar faces littered around the room some at the bar of the kitchen counters and sprawled around the living room. Key, Krystal and Mrs. Lee were even involved waving happily to greet you. I looked back towards Taehyung his expression serious, “more hands and minds, the better.” It was great seeing Jungkook’s team again, but you had to make rounds again on six names. Everyone around the room was chatting away. You sat down at the edge of the couch nearest to their connective board set up fitting in next to Key.

Key gave you this look raising his eyebrow at you, “I saw that.” You coughed to conceal the abrupt huff, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” A huff of a laugh left his lips, “honey, please, there’s no need to hide it everyone and their mother’s known.” Your mouth was agape, because really, were you being that obvious with Tae? Your attention was stolen when the meeting was called to start.

Taehyung and Jungkook took to the front of the small crowd gathering everyone’s attention. They had a large white board step up with print outs of different individuals in this spider web of connections. Jungkook rearranged the photos to put Robert Archer in the center of the board. His name was written boldly in red.

Taehyung leaned against the arm of the couch next to you taking a big breath. Subconsciously your hand went to rest on his knee rubbing your thumb over it soothingly. His flicking tail eased into a light sway from its anxious ticking. “About twenty years ago my father went missing and my mother and I had to escape. For years I’ve been trying to find him or find out what happened to him. I’ve come up empty, but recently there’s been a lot of upcoming evidence. I’m asking you all here to help me and other hybrids who gone missing. We’ve come to suspect that Archer hasn’t only effected my family, but others…like the Millers.” You kept your thumb rubbing soothing circles as he spoke, anything to take a bit of the weight out of his confession.

Jungkook nodded taking over, “Police Chief Robert Archer has pushed us around long enough.” Murmurs from officer Wang sounded, “especially with the budget cut to only our team.” Jungkook side eyed the dog and Wang held a hand up in apology. “With the information that Taehyung and Y/N collected from Riverwood County Shelter.“ Jungkook clicked on the controller bringing up files on the TV, specifically Archer’s employment file. “During his years as a security guard at Riverwood, approximately a hundred of hybrids went missing. Including Taehyung’s father and Mother, however, we just don’t know why he persisted even after his parents escaped, there are still holes. Officer Park spoke up, “has anyone died?” Officer Tuan pulled up a collage of other files, “I don’t know if any of the deaths linked to this shelter is directly because of Archer but going through files the overseeing officer was—.”

An unexpected deeper timbre finished the statement, “Robert Archer.” Jungkook stood straight along with the rest of his team, “Captain Im!” The Rottweiler stepped into the center of the room dipping his head to Taehyung who greet him with an equal smirk. “There’s no guessing Robert Archer is the one who’s behind all this.” Captain Im rotated his hand in the air as if that wrapped up his statement. He tossed a USB onto the coffee table in front of Tuan with a subtle nod. The Rottweiler took command of the room in an instant, all eyes were on him. Mark plugged the USB in and went to work immediately projecting and playing the first video file. CCTV of Archer letting in the wife of CEO business into his office and her coming out quite chummy played on the screen.

Key chimed in, “we’ve already known that the wife had some dirty laundry. We saw a photo her meeting Judge Gordie before the trail. How does that relate to missing hybrids?” Mark’s fast fingers went to work again bringing up an excessive amount of files clustering their on the screen. “There’s been some diving into the system. With blatant observation I found that some cases specially overviewed by Judge Gordie, are a bit curious.” He flipped through somewhere the title was blatantly missing or deceased. “It only adds to the amount of hybrids that have gone missing under Archer’s watch.”

Captain Im leaned against the wall, “not only did Archer effect all these families, but I knew he wasn’t meant to take that position. He forced his way to the top sticking his nose up these rich people’s ass.” He seemed he wanted to continue, all eyes were on him and the typing stopped as we waited upon his neck words. However, he just sighed pushing his hair out of his face returning to the stern leader he was. He pointed out a few other people as he spoke on the board, “however, now is not the right time to act. Just like all you are doing let’s dig up as much information. Yates has been up north loitering around brothels until he can come back into the city, so when he moves we know that’s the time to move with Archer.”

The officers all in unison chanted, “yes, Sir!” The roar of approval jolted everyone not a law officer nearly out their seats. Captain Im’s Expression turned soft as he looked at Taehyung then to us, his law team. “We will be here a 100% of the way with you guys.” Somehow the anxiety you felt expanding this to many people dismissed itself.

You took a moment to just look around the room, to observe the face from all different paths of life with one single direction. Unity a scary thing. It’s a spontaneous decision, one all of us were thrown into. Your eyes trail over the hybrids each of them having their own scars, their own success story, but were all here. You can see it their eyes the intensity and commitment to each division they take apart of.

Your eyes always lead back to the epicenter though, the man who started this all. Taehyung. His strong brows furrow when he analyzed something. The way he stuck his tongue out when he’s in intermission of thoughts. You couldn’t take your eyes off the contrast of his brown hair against his fiery ears. He was a man who deserved the world. As if his senses picked up your staring, his tongue sticking out at the corner of his mouth his eyes drew towards his instincts. His eyes caught yours holding them amongst the moving’s working of everyone around. He gave his signature boxy smile and a wink before he went back to work. You went back to work looking at your laptop to conceal your blush.

As John C. Maxwell said, “teamwork makes the dream work.” However, he also stated, “but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” And we’re going to take down that monster, one pillar at a time.

You take a document with you and plop down next to Mark trying to understand an oddity. “Hey Mark, can you look up the previous owner of Riverwood?” He nods taking the file from you doing some fancy typing and fast loading. “The shelter was bought out by Sagitta Incorporated from a family owned business forty years ago. It’s been owned by them ever since, but they’ve moved the faction over to one of their sub labels to manage it along with a few other shelters they purchased.” You nodded, but still… it was odd. Why would a shelter in the middle of the woods be purchased by a conglomerate that dealt with plastics and metal? Sagitta was an old money company, what could possible benefit them by buying out a small shelter? You thanked Mark going back to your station on the couch with more questions than answers.

You didn’t realize you were the last one there, or awake. The officers left at different times and Jungkook was called in. Mrs. Lee left to make dinner for her husband and Krystal to live a proper youthful evening. Your head was leaning back against the couch cushion with your eyes relaxed close on the edge of falling asleep. You felt the couch dip next to you and your head naturally banked towards the indention. Your temple thumped lightly against the soft cotton of someone’s shoulder. You pried open your eyes against your will, shifting to look up to meet the eyes of a curious fox. His boxy smile illuminated brighter than the floor lamp behind him.

You can’t help but imitate it back to him shifting your head to look around the living room, but only to find it empty. “Did everyone leave?” You tried sitting up but Tae’s hand loops around your front to bring your head back down onto his shoulder to lean his head on yours. “Stay like this—just for a minute.” You relaxed into him finally getting a full scent of his still freshly showered perfumes. He began humming a low tune, the vibrations resonating in his chest tingling your heart. “Tae, case 57 the—.” He cut you off by holding a single finger to your lips momentarily halting his hymn. “Shhh—relax. Just relax. You’ve done enough today.” You wanted to protest but his fingers slid down holding your chin gently between his fingers. He angled your face towards his. His warmth radiated about him as he inched closer and you could feel minty breath over your lips. Naturally your lips parted in a sigh feeling his warmth melting into you. Your heart was skipping beats finding an irregular rhythm. If he notices he doesn’t mention it carrying on his way of sweetly caressing your head in his large hands.

His nose brushed against your cheek and he angled your chin down to pepper a gentle kiss above your brows. His venture continued to kiss each eyelid, the tip of your nose, then each cheek, finally your chin. You couldn’t help the small giggle, “Tae.” You could feel the smirk growing as his nose trailed it way down to your jaw making sure to season each spot he found with adoring kisses. Your hand tangled itself in his hair massaging the base of his ear. The sensation of his sweet kisses turned lustrous when his throat rumbled in deep vibrations. You took deep, shallow shaky breathes as your eyes fell closed from the overwhelming touches.

He pushed into you the more you scratched at his ears and tugged lightly at his hair. He pulled back momentarily taking equally shaky breathes, “have I ever told you how beautiful you look when you concentrate?” You wanted to respond, but his curious lips found yours in a passionate kiss pushing you into the couch. The kiss turned molten when his tongue swiped along your bottom lip for entrance. When you granted permission, he leaned into you until you were laid flat on the couch and his elbows caged you in. You could feel his lean torso against yours. No words were needed, the sounds and frequency of our breathes were enough to paint a canvas an array of colors.

He was orange against my blue sky.

You both were so enchanted, so lost in the masterpiece, that you didn’t hear the door creak open and Tae’s roommates come home. “Jimin, I told you its right foot then left and then drop, not the other way—whoops! Sorry!” When the voices overpowered both of your harsh breathing you buried your face in Tae’s chest to find some privacy. “It’s nice to meet you Y/N,” Jimin called out before he was shoved along. He laughed rubbing the back of your head finding you endearing. The two, Jimin and Hoseok, found their way into their room snickering along the way to give you both time to recuperate. You pulled away looking up at him, “are we teenagers?” He laughed burring his head in the crook of your neck feathering it with infectious laughter. “I didn’t know you’re into role play honey.” You smacked his chest only to cause more laughter from you both.

You checked your watch your eyes widening sitting up so suddenly that Tae fell back to the other side of the couch. You collected all your stuff haphazardly putting them all into your messenger bag. “Y/N, what’s wrong?” You stopped in your spot, “it’s so late! My brother came back today, and I made a promise to him that I’d make him dinner as a welcome back meal.” Tae laughed trying to reel you back in by wrapping his arms around your waist, “he’s a grown man he can take care of himself.” You didn’t fight his embrace instead pulling him in and giving him the puppy eyes, “says the person who hasn’t seen him nearly burn a pan by forgetting it was on the burner.” His eyes widened, and his promiscuous tails stopped swishing. “Seriously?” You nodded and finished packing walking your way to the door with Tae in tow. As you slipped on your shoe you turned back to him inching up on the ball of your toes to press a chaste kiss on his lips. Doing so felt natural now, like you were a couple. As you tried pulling away his lips found yours again pulling you in for more. You only let it go on for a few seconds more then pushed him away in regret, “Tae, I’ll see you tomorrow.” His eyes gave you that look that was hard to resist, “let me drive you home at least.” You looked back at your watch and the last bus should be arriving by now…but you’d rather spend more time with Tae. “okay.” His tail sprang to life twitching again.

He took you home, but not without holding your hand hostage in his saying it was for protective reasons. At each red light he would kiss you each chance he got, but you didn’t mind. You felt this need to express what you felt in words, but you weren’t sure if it was time yet. Instead you continued on with what you wanted to earlier, “Taehyung, about the case….” This time he didn’t push it away only holding your hand tightly in his listening intently to your . “Out of all the deceased cases that came from Riverwood, they were all deemed ‘accidental’. There can’t be that many accidents Tae.” He squeezed your hand bringing it to his lips to leave a lingering kiss. He spoke against your hand, “yeah, Yugyeom was telling me about that.” His nose nudged the back of your hand, but he never took his eyes off the road. He was deep in thought the whole time, so you just relaxed in your seat.

Too many holes…too many.

When he pulled up next to your apartment he got out of his side walking around to your side. “Tae, you don’t have to walk me up.” He seemed to hesitate, shoving his hands in his pocket. “I know we just reconnected and all, but I really am grateful to have you again. I don’t know if this is moving too fast…but.” You bit your lips holding in a chuckle, his nervousness was so uncharacteristic. His hands were moving out to gesture thoughtfully as if he was in a courtroom trying to explain himself better. You were patient though, one of your traits that got you through law school especially. He ran a hand through his hair walking in a circle to really push the words through.

You took a step forward halting his pacing, “Tae, I—.” A booming voice sounded from the rooftop, “Y/N? What are you—oh, hey! Taehyung! Long time no see bro!” You wanted to facepalm, instead you released your hands from Taehyung’s turning towards your brother. “I’ll be up in a minute.” Your brother nodded waving back to a blushing fox. “I gotta go.” A heavy sigh left his lips and you caught the end of his muttering, “…keep interrupting.” You laughed again centering yourself on your toes to leave a lasting kiss on his lips hushing his complaints. “See you tomorrow Tae.”

 

He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose giving a one last glance at his client for assurance. A raccoon hybrid, who stereotypically is up for trail because of petty theft. Since his office took a hit with the Miller case, they’ve thrown a low-end case his way where the outcome was obvious: guilty. However, he was here to prove them wrong.

It was his turn to give a final argument to the jury, “your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury: Philip Aldric was unlucky to be in a store at the time of a thievery at Robinson’s Liquor Store. The assailant happens to be a family member; however, my client had no intel on the situation and was there by coincidence. My client’s text to the assailant that day were no illusive to the crime that was committed. Philip is an honest individual, who has turned his life around from kleptomaniac by regularly attending Kleptomania’s anonymous. Not only for himself, but to prove to his family that he is a man who has changed. Remember that under the law my client is presumed innocent. The prosecution has proved that there is no real evidence to pin point him as an accomplice. That means that there is reasonable doubt and, therefore, you must find him not guilty.”

He sat back in his seat looking over to the prosecution with a raised eyebrow silently biding him to challenge his statements. But of course, those devils always had something up their sleeve. The jury took three hours to decide that Phillip Aldric was in fact not guilty. He only bowed to the opposing table out of respect but let the smirk bloom as he walked out the courtroom. When he finally left the courthouse, his tie was pulled loose and his dark circles acting as eclipses under his eyes. He sat in his car and checked his phone already receiving a text message from his eager mother to see her son again. He smiled at the text sending her a quick reply that he’ll be there soon. Ever since you told him about what you heard, he’s felt an overbearing need to protect the ones around him. A need to solidify his skulk with a sense of ease. However, before he tucked his phone away, he shot y/n a quick text that made him bite his lip. He tucked his phone in his pocket driving off.

It’s been a week and some days since the meeting at Tae’s and Jungkook’s house, and with your odd luck, you’re working late again at the office. You couldn’t concentrate when the thoughts in your mind were running a marathon. You’ve found sleep to come to you in intervals rather than a full eight hours when you’ve thought of new possibilities or solutions. At your desk three mauled pencils sat at the corner waiting to be brushed into the trash. Things just felt so empty, specifically the holes in Tae’s dad story just felt like there was something—an answer—within grasp but not quite there. The question kept haunting me: why? Why did Archer come after Tae’s dad after so many years? Wouldn’t he just let him go if he didn’t like hybrids so much?

Things just didn’t add up.

His dad must have done something or know something that was important…that meant something to Archer. The pencil you were chewing on fell from your mouth adding to the collection. You stood out of your chair, “that’s it!” You booked it towards Taehyung’s office forgetting to knock, but you were greeted by a dark, empty office. Right, Tae went to see his mother after his case earlier. He was trying to move her into an extra room in his apartment, but she wasn’t having it. You stood there observing his empty chair, you approached the desk as if you were presenting something to Mr. Kim. “Tae, I think I’ve figured it out.” You searched the room lingering on Tae’s blazer that hung up on his coat rack. You stepped towards the piece of him, smiling as you grabbed onto the sleeve. “Tae…,” since the kisses last week it’s just been a playful back and forth game. There wasn’t a clear line of what we were. You knew he was joking about the honey nickname, but you secretly liked it. It made you want to hide away for what it did to your heart. The pink that plastered your cheeks afterwards was especially embarrassing. However, you wanted to feel his lips against yours again…and again. You wanted to call him yours.

You let your hand slip to end of the sleeve, your knuckles knocking against something hard in the front pocket. You know you shouldn’t, but you reached inside pulling out something cold and metallic. You flicked on the desk lamp opening the palm of your hand to illuminate a slightly clouded silver key. The key belonged to Tae’s childhood home. You thumbed over the ridges then clutched it tightly in your hands. Another light bulb went off in your head as you clicked off the lights. It was still early enough for you to buy a ticket at the bus station.

You boarded the greyhound bus heading back home to Riverwood. As childish as it was, you blew hot air on the cold window drawing a smiley face over your reflection. Tomorrow, or today really, was Saturday so you could spend the day searching through the house. You pulled out your phone to turn it off to save the last 50% of battery, but you noticed an unread message. You swiped along the screen squinting against the harsh blue light reading the message from Taehyung. “Honey don’t stay too late at the office. I’m sorry I can’t take you home. Good night.” You giggled at his insistent nickname. You didn’t bother responding instead slipping your outdated phone back into your purse. You manipulated the lumpy faux-leather thing until it tucked in like a pillow letting sleep take over until you’d arrive by midnight.

 

Robert sat at the bar sipping on something he couldn’t remember the order for. He grumbled watching the bartender work, failing to notice the figure that slipped into the empty stool next to him. The figure lifted two fingers calling out an order that is just more static to Archer’s busy mind. He ran his cracking, dry fingers coating them in dried gel allowing the long strands to split and graze his under-eye bags.

The mysterious figure spoke non-directionally but with purpose, “The king walks down the yellow road, only to find the nest empty. Where were the knights? What of the Queen?” Archer laughs downing the rest of his drink, exaggeratedly wiping away the excess hanging on the edges of his lips. “The pawn was never a Queen. She was just a weaver trapped in the clutches of her mate. The world is blue not yellow or orange.”

The man laughed receiving his drink from the bartender. He paused taking a sip from his beverage letting the poison play their own game on his taste buds, “ …is that what you think of her?”

Archer ordered another drink turning to the man next to him, “it doesn’t matter what I think of her. She’s dead. They’re disgusting. I don’t they deserve to live. I mean…they’re not even human. That girl! She’s just so stupid! She’s trying to help them…why can’t she see I’m trying to save her! Why does she want to end up like my Mother? I’ve gotten rid of so many…so many.” Archers eyes narrowed his deeply scared cheek reflected jagged collagen deep summer violet shade. “I have to save her…I have to save her.” The stool scratched against the old wooden floor causing some splinters to fly forgetting his bill. The man next to him let a chesire grin bloom as he laid down a few extra bills down covering Archer’s bill. He shrugged his coat on walking towards the open door showered in the red light of a neon sign hanging above the door before he disappeared in the onyx of night.

 

You felt drawn to this place, a soldier’s soul who wants to come home…even though this place wasn’t home. Your sneakers crunched against the dry, dusty dirt guided forward by the cold light of a flashlight. You could walk this pathway blindfolded…but then again things weren’t the same as they used to be. The chirping of crickets was loud against the quiet countryside monotony. Around the bend home filtered through the trees, you adjusted the strap of your purse tighter around your chest. You swung open the gate of the picket fence, the now familiar creak of rusting metal. Habitually you searched the darkened windows for anyone looking back; a part of you still wishes Tae’s mom would peer out the living room window to greet you, but the house was hollow. Fireflies rose up fluttering around from their resting in a beautiful cascade of yellow-green. A whole swarm of them lit up the night and you spoke to them softly, “I’m home.”

You stepped up to the doorstep, along with the ghost who keep repeating the cycles just like you, but you weren’t afraid. You rummaged through the outer pocket of your purse for the house key. It took a few jiggles and a light shoulder shoving, then the door opened. The familiar smell of mustiness was the only tenant to greet you as you locked the door behind you. Being here recently you were able to navigate like it was your rooftop apartment.

You set your purse down on the dining table feeling motivated you rolled up your sleeves and went to work. You banked left towards the rooms, your objective was to find something, anything that could further your case. Taehyung’s father should’ve left something, anything somewhere. You spent an hour working through his parent’s room, but there wasn’t anything valuable to be considered evidence.

I moved onto the next room the last unexplored rabbit hole: his parent’s office room. We didn’t enter this room the last time we visited after your breakdown Tae and you left. I turned the dusty knob open coating my hand in an inch of dust. I pushed the door open with my feet, partially because I didn’t want any bugs to run directly at me and be coated with door dust. The moonlight poured in through the eight window pane while the dirty, chiffon curtains flew lightly in the gentle breeze from opening the door. The left wall was a bookshelf with books and knickknacks varying at each shelf. Your eyes trailed from the grand wall to what seemed like a dinner table at one time now a desk. It brought a smile to your face thinking back to how Tae’s dad would upset his mom bringing home random, broken things off the curve of the street. The countless times his mother would face palm and try to sneak the junk out of the house only for it to return not too long afterwards. You never thought a sweet nickname could turn so spicy.

You trailed your fingers along the splintering wood of the dinner—desk table, smiling at the unexpected memories. Your feet creaked against the flooring slamming with an open onto the table catching yourself. Your foot was almost a goner because of a loosened plank. You paused, then looked again at the plank. It didn’t make sense that flooring was still intact expect one piece. You squinted hard looking closer. You almost laughed at how cliché this was because of course Tae’s dad would do something like this, the burying nature of wild dogs.

You kneeled down against the dry floor pulling back the wooden plank with heavy caution. Your eyes didn’t catch anything in the hole until the filtered moonlight shined against the foundation. The closer you looked the brown wood had an unnatural portion jutting out its side. You reached in to touch something leather and fully grasping onto a small, brown leather booklet with the name Kim engraved on the cover. Your jaw nearly fell out of its socket, how cliché could his father get. The excitement rushing in your veins. This could be the answer you were looking for.

Coating your hands in layers of dust as you swiped across the cover, then you blew the dust off coughing up a cloud of dust. You pulled back the cover carefully hearing the strain of the binding of the unopen book. Behind the cover page was a small pocket hosting a photograph. Carefully you held the border of the polaroid pulling it out of its socket with a bit of a crinkle. It was a family photo with Tae’s mother holding little Tae bundled in her arms smiling a thousand-watt smile with his father’s arms wrapped around his mother resting his chin on her head. You tucked it back in for safe keeping and to keep yourself from reminiscing too long.

You filtered through the first few pages dated a few years after Tae or you were even born: 1996, 1997, etc. There were only short fragmented statements or paragraphs of the weather. A folded piece of construction paper fell out of onto your lap. You set the booklet down monetarily, again carefully unfolding the construction paper. It was a crayon drawn picture of what seemed like a mom and dad and boy. The boy was holding hands with a girl and a lopsided heart drawn over them. Two other boys were on the side and that’s when it clicked that it was you in the picture holding hands with the boy. You folded it up and away making note that you were going to harass Tae about it later. You flipped through the next few pages, but they were empty. For a full year there were no entries, until towards the back of the booklet as if it was opened randomly by author who just had to put their thoughts down. The writing was slanted, and you could picture his father leaning sluggishly on the table with weary thoughts.

It hit you, twenty seven years…he’s been gone for twenty-seven years and yet, you could picture him sitting at this very desk in that sluggish position. You tilted the book slightly to adjust your eyes to the wording, slowly as you read over the words they took on a deep voice that belong to his father.

Monday; May 11, 1998,

No…June 1995…

I felt like I was swaying back and forth from the tranquilizer, but the dosage wasn’t high enough to sedate me. The white walls of the room were hypnotic to the point where you could lose yourself staring at them too long. The steel bars are warm against my hands from gripping them so long. Three guards paced around the room mimicking the only other prisoner in the room.

The tallest one smirked defiantly around at me and the only other occupant in a neighboring cage. The hybrid decided to remain complacent, he found observing his prey worked better in his favor than being on the offense in these situations.

I had Jelly…well two jellies to take care.

I could hear my own heartbeat and the ramped heart of the tiger hybrid in the cage next to me. I kept glancing at the distressed big cat, he was making me more anxious.

I’m anxious.

His coat was patchy, and he was slim… that had the remnants of a once built, tall man. Once.

There was a shock collar blinking a bright, red light against the metal.

The hybrid paced around his cage in circles for what felt like hours. As far as I could tell they’ve been starving him and depriving him of water for a while. Whenever they would get bored, they’d push a button on a remote and the tiger would stop his pacing seizing on the floor. One of the guards were taunting, “if you keep misbehaving, we’ll keep shocking ya kitty.” The three would roar in laughter cooing at the kitty as it still shook from the electricity.

Why did they keep taunting him? Why would they hurt him? What JOY did they get from hurting him…us?

The big cat seemed to have enough when it didn’t care about the shocks any longer, the canines mounted in his jaw protruding like the half beast he was. He lunged at the cage rattling the metal bars.

I just wanted to calm the cat, do anything to prevent further taunting or harassment, but the hybrid was too far gone. Too feral and angry to listen to his pleas.

The hybrid was pumping pure adrenaline through its veins, nothing humanistic was behind those brown eyes. The tiger growled, roared at the guards and then maniacally laughed. The guards didn’t seem phased by it, actually, giddier that they were getting a response that they wanted. I knew, and the tiger knew that they wanted the tiger to bite the bait…and he did.

With an outstretched hand the tallest of the three outstretched his long arm holding the remote control, “good kitty.” The shocks were more intense this time.

So…intense…everything was.

The tigerman fell to his elbows screeching from the pain and all I could do was watch. I wanted to throw up, even now as I write this, feeling the vicarious pain watching the veins in the hybrids neck come to life, straining against his flesh. Eventually the tiger bowed down, falling on his front in submission like a domino. The electrically was too much.

Too much…

What seemed like forever passed by, the fallen man never rose. Please, get up, please…please…get up. Tears were streaming down my face against my will. GET UP!

The guard tossed the remote to the nearest guard. As the guard approached I saw through blurry vision and nausea that I was able to make out the first letter on the nametag of the guard: A. The guard squatted down in front of the cage leaning his face in between the bars, “kitty…oh kitty wakey, wakey.”

The tiger hybrid lunged towards the bars of the cage slashing and mauling the guard. His claws caught onto A’s face and different sources of screams echoed out in the small room. A held his face with one hand snatching the remote control out of the other guard’s hand switching up the intensity and depressing the button. Static light emitted from the collar, as if fireworks erupted at his jugular.

With his final bow, the tiger collapsed face forward again onto the unforgiving floor. The room smelt of burnt flesh and stress. My senses were spinning too many scents in the small room.

Jelly…Jelly…Jelly…

A stood up on shaky feet tossing the remote to the floor harshly, his fingers drenched in his own blood. He kicked the cage out of spite turning towards the guards, “dispose of him with the other accidents.” A turned towards him, the brute features piercing through him causing another wave of nausea at the intense gaze and overwhelming smell of iron. “take this as a lesson you filthy half breed.”

The rest went by without hitches, my grip on the cage never faltered. My knuckled were white, trembling as he watched nurses and men alike come in to shove the tigers body into a plastic bag and drag it out. There was no decency, the tiger was no better than the Styrofoam coffee cup they drank out of this morning. Hybrids were…nothing.

I must protect my wife…I must protect my son. Even if it’ll cost me…Beware of A.

BEWARE OF A

 

You muttered to yourself reading out loud the last sentence, “…Beware of A.” The book clattered to the floor your trembling hands couldn’t support the weight of Tae’s father words. A silent stream of tears streamed down your face, a moment of silence for the lost. The sound of another set of footsteps were concealed with the clatter. A black figure loomed over you casting a shadow over the room from the doorway, but you didn’t see him. However, you heard him after his third step towards you when his foot hit the discarded loose plank. You barely had a chance to turn back before the slightly sweetened cloth was placed over your mouth. The smell was distinct enough against the moist, old book smell. You tried resisting breathing in the solution, fighting against his hold on you, but the man’s grip on you was meant to be like the clutches of death. You caught a glimpse of your captor noticing the same eyes you saw after the accident.

He was back.

It wasn’t long before your vision had hellebores and dahlia’s dancing. You muttered out the last thing you could muster before you laid in the gardens. “Tae….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 05/12/2018:[The Firefly that Guards the Fox 8](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/173823504058/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-8)


	9. Chapter 9

Vibrations awaken him from his short dream, his hands carelessly slithering towards the source of frequency. He didn’t bother checking who it was calling, his eyebrows scrunched the longer the noise went on. He let the phone rest on the side of his face as he groggily answered, “Hello?” The voice at the other end sounded cheerily and completely awake. “Hold on…Mrs. Lee?”

The woman on the line corrected herself, “oh—silly me, hello Mr. Kim, I’m so sorry to bother you so early. I couldn’t get in contact with Ms. Y/L/N. Are you still heading to the office today?”

He sighed internally knowing he would succumb to the favor of his all too eternally loyal secretary. “Yes, how may I help Mrs. Lee?”

A relieved sigh left her lips. “I’m so sorry I was meaning to tell Y/L/N, but it slipped my mind. I’m already out of town. I left a case on your desk that was meant to be filed away, the keys are in my drawer. I’d ask Krystal, but you know how grumpy that girl can be. Would you be able to put it away? I just don’t trust that it would be okay to sit over the weekend. Again, I’m so sorry for this inconvenience.”

He held back his bite, she was never this forgetful, “please don’t make this mistake again Mrs. Lee. I will take care of it. Have a good day.” His secretary continued to thank him endlessly hanging up after the last ‘it’s no big deal’ he could grumble out.

Again, to his amusement of humanity, his mother was awake and busy in the kitchen. Clicking the lid of the last Tupperware closed as he shuffled out of the guest room, her salt and cumin ears flickered at the noise. “Peanut, what are you doing up so early?”

His tail swayed behind him softly behind him as he shuffled forward. “I have to go back to go into work for a bit.” He smacked his lips together trying to clear his throat from sleep. His mother put on a pout but corrected herself and resolved by serving him hot breakfast. As long as she could feed her kit before he left, she could deal with the premature departure. 

He stood in the entry way his arm strength being put to the test as he carried at least ten pounds worth of prepped food in each hand. “Now, don’t forget to eat those before they expire. I know Jimin likes those rice cakes. That Panther is so skinny! Jungkook and Hobi too! Oh! I packed some for y/n and her brother too. Tell them not miss out on meals, even if—.” He let his mother drone on about her concerns but cut her off when the strain was a bit overbearing. “You couldn’t be any more right! You always know what’s best Mother.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek, “I love you Mom.”

Tae walked down the hall shuffling into the elevator as his mother continuously waved goodbye from her doorway. He descended to the parking garage for residents with a childish grin on his face. He put the bags of prepped meals and side dishes in the trunk with a thud and a sigh of relief. In the driver’s seat he massaged the redden skin from the plastic bags with a sigh. The same cheesy smile still graced him as he thought back to how happy his mother was. How she ranted and almost talked his ear off about how much she missed him. A sense of nostalgia just being a small family and enjoying eachothers presence like they—including his father—used to do. The beautiful emotion was followed by a sense of guilt, the ugly reminder that he could have that more often if he just visited if he was a good son.

It wasn’t blatant at first, at least to him, but the people around him have told him time and time again how lately he’s become more…himself? A more approachable and true to his real personality than he’s ever displayed externally even internally. Mrs. Lee even tying his behavior change to when you were hired. He could admit your presence in his life made him oddly inclined towards domestic ideals and breathing easy for once. For a brief moment last night, he imagined you lounging around with them…as his girlfriend…like a family.

He pictured it again vividly; you laying your head on his chest watching a movie he wouldn’t pay attention to instead you’re expressions would be his cinema. He’s already enchanted by the little quirks and movements, so he would occasionally pepper your head with kisses to check if you were real. Only to time and time again realize you were real.

Grunting with a sigh of frustration he sat up right, swishing away the clouds of his short daydream. He put the keys in the ignition and took off. He didn’t want to dwell on the what ifs too much. It reminded him of his missed opportunity, the countless times he’s missed to tell you how he feels. The taste in his mouth when he calls you Honey is so sweet but leaves a bitter after taste when you look at him rolling your eyes thinking he’s playing sarcastically. If only you knew. 

The familiar drag of the elevators carried on until the chromatic doors opened releasing him from the captivity of mundane elevator music. The familiar receptionist desk was empty of its sassy tenant. The golden plaque reflected from the bright elevator lamp: Hybrid Welfare Legal Law Group, LLC. All the florescent lights were turned off, as he made his way through the office. He checked his phone hoping he missed a message from Y/N. You’d normally respond to him within a few hours, but you’ve left him on read. He brushed it off thinking you must’ve fallen asleep before you could answer back.

His digital clock read 5:12 a.m. as he rounded the corner to the open office space. The sun was barely breeching on the skyline. The sun and moon were together in the sky. He ran a hand through his hair resisting the urge to run through the last messages he sent you. Subconsciously he slowed his pace as he passed by your desk. He noticed the mauled pencils on your desk. A part of him whined at the sight, the items spoke louder than you’ve been letting on about how stressed you were. He brushed them into the small trashcan on the side of your desk.

He walked into his dark office clicking the small lamp fixture to life as he dropped his briefcase on a chair. Honestly, he wasn’t sure why he brought it with him since he had no intentions to work. He easily justified it as reflexive habit. Slumping into his seat he closed his eyes to try to wake up fully. The buzz of sleep was still flush in his system leaving him in a functionally drowsy state. He took in a deep breath hoping the familiar scent of paper, ink and old coffee mugs would do the job.

Something else acts as caffeine to him, it’s your scent. Its faint but it’s in the air. Maybe because he’s always searching for your scent subconscious, but he picks up on it. It’s become a constant in his life. He sat up led by his nose wherever the ribbons of you fluttered to. It only got stronger the closer he got to his coat rack. The sweet scent of you wasn’t that old, it was still fragrant, dancing in the air teasing him of your recent presence.

He could picture you standing there instead of the coat rack. He imagined it’s you wearing his blazer that draped over the knobs. Your presence was enough to drown him and take him somewhere else. He pictured the beautiful smile that would bloom across your face, but then the even more intoxicating face when your passion was ignited. He slipped his hand into one of the sleeves allowing the blazer to embrace him as if it was you holding him just right. He imagined it’s your hands calling out to him to be held, to be protected by him. When his own fingers lace with his own, he wished it was your warmth instead of this equilibrium. “I miss you, but you’re not mine. I want you to be mine. Be mine y/n.” His hand trailed up to grasp at his neck covering the chill where your head should be resting in the crook of his neck while he held you. He let his hand fall when the chill doesn’t uplift instead he just misses you more. He doesn’t want to live in the past, but he wanted a home. Home wasn’t a place, he reaches into his blazer for the key, in fact he realized you can find a home in someone. That someone was you.

He kept digging in the pocket looking for holes in the seam, but it was perfectly intact. He searched the floor and his drawers, then his briefcase and still it wasn’t there.

He pulled out his phone maybe he left the key with Y/N, but instead as he was about to dial y/n it lights up with the exact number he was looking for. He continues searching his briefcase once more, he rest his phone in the crook of his neck taking the call. The sun was peaking, his office was flooding with the soft orange light of the morning, with hints of pink, gray clouds. “Mornin’ Honey, you’re finally awake! Early at that too, does everyone get up at this time? Do you—.”

“Shut up! You! You’re the reason why she’s dead. You don’t deserve her! Filthy hybrid…Youdon’tdeserveanything! Ha…haha! I’m going to rip everything away from you just like you did to me. I’ve done it once, I’m going to do it again, again, again and again!” The line went dead but he could hear the echoes of laughter. The phone fell from the crook of his neck with a soft thud hitting the floor. Archer, why did he have Y/n’s phone? It clicked after two heart beats Archer had y/n! Fear surged through him, but it easily switched over to anger. His ears fell flat against his head, the morning light making his orange fur burn a horrid red, almost magenta. Patience, all his daydreaming and restraint flew out the window. The fox was howling like a wolf.

He leaned down picking up his phone that now had a minute crack on the screen. With shaking hand, he scrolled through his contacts missing the actual person he wanted to call a few times. He took a deep breath centering himself batting of the anger, “they—they, he took her! She’s gone! I—I—!”

 

Dark figures danced around a sickly blue fire. A tiger led the two weasels, who followed behind him, stood on their hind feet, switching in intervals raising their hands high then low. The tiger growled, roared and laughed while the high squeals of what you assumed was laughter as well from the weasels. They increased their speed around the fire. The embers flickered onto the soot around them their hind paws blackened. No matter how many times the fire licked at their feet they danced. The fire grew higher into the dark sky until the fire roared catching the dancing beings on fire. They still continued their rounds. The fire grew and grew until it consumed you and the heat was unbearable. You screamed until your vision was falling into an abyss of navy blue flames.

The light filtering through the dense treetop was like looking through a kaleidoscope. It was too much and the violent raging waves storming in your stomach wasn’t along for the visual ride. You bent forward trying to find some solace, but instead your stomach emptied itself in front of you wherever that was. The nausea didn’t subdue when the only remaining thing leaving you was bile. The strings of saliva caught on your lower lip as you bowed your head backwards sitting up straight again. You blinked harshly trying to dissipate the heaviness and dizziness away, but you felt like a block of lead. The kaleidoscope stopped turning with the sounds of footsteps around you.

Two men unveiled themselves lingering around the trees a meter away; they wore black mask and hats to cover themselves. You almost laughed to yourself at their still sensibility to conceal their identity. “Jesus Christ, fuckin’ move her.” One of the masked figures stepped forth and dragged you at least a few feet away from your digested bits. Unceremoniously he shoved you as you noticed a third figure. The ring leader with the scars to prove it strolled around you, taunting you just like they did to the Tiger all those years ago.

You tried to sit upright but sitting on your side was more suitable for your stomach. “What,” you licked your chapped lips your throat chaffing with each word, “do you want? Why am I here?” You looked between the familiar men, but this time around you were seeing them without their mask and their authoritative titles.

Archer nearly fell to his knees in front of you cupping your face gently between his fingers. “I’m here to save you Y/n. I need to save you. You don’t realize what Taehyung is going to do to you. The lies! He doesn’t care about you! I care about you!” His hands began trembling just like his breathing; you could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath.

Naturally you scoffed, “I don’t need any saving, Archer. You’re wrong.” The diction in your voice was stable, surprising even to yourself. The grip on your face tightened painfully.

“No, no, no! See you don’t get it! Hybrids are not humans. They don’t deserve to live! They’re—they’re….” Archers eyes glossed over as your posed figure double exposed to another familiar one. He stumbled back falling as his chest rose and fell rapidly. The blue morning sky fading into high noon of a past Summer.

 

Summer vacation was always boring, but only amplified by the humidity of the wretched season. He walked into the living room with sweat dripping down his temples missing the hole for his juice box for the nth time. “Mom! Its not going in!” He stomped his feet as he rushed towards his mom pushing the mauled box towards her.

She set down her knitting needles and without looking where he came from she held her hand out expectantly with a come hither motion. “You got too impatient again, didn’t you?” She observed the beat up orange punch juice box then with a raised eyebrow sided eyed her impatient son. Robert looked at the floor to conceal his blush scuffing the edge of the rug.

He knew he was being impatient, but he’s been saving that box just for todays snack. “Sorry Mom.”

In one graceful plunge the straw was in the box, “there, drink slow okay?” Excitedly he snatched the box out of her hand spilling some of it on her and her blanket she’d been knitting. “Honey! Honey! Wait, you’re going to spill it—oh! Look what you—.”

Two heavy knocks sounded at the door steering her attention elsewhere as Robert scurried onto the couch to avoid reprimanding. She narrowed her eyes, pointing at her eyes then him with a strong flick of a promise, “you just wait until I deal with this, then I’ll deal with you.” She wiped her soiled hands on the front of her jeans grumbling to herself as the knocks got louder and harder. “Coming, coming just wait a minute sheesh!”

She unlatched the locks still trying to organize herself and dispel the sugary drink somewhere else. She opened the door halfway without looking up spoke, “can I help you?” As she rose her head the silhouetted figure against the harsh Summer sun began to take form. She didn’t need to take in the full image of man for long to recognize it was someone she hadn’t seen in eleven years. With quick reflexes she slammed the door with all her might, but the foot wedged in the door wouldn’t budge. She jammed herself against the door with all her might. The man pushed his way inside knocking her on the floor. Her worn and weak wrist weren’t strong enough to catch her to break the fall.

“You thought you could get rid of me, huh?” The man walked into the house striding forward with confidence as he loomed over her muddled figure. Robert’s shaky eyes finally caught fully sight of the intruder. He was tall, but the most striking features to his childish mind was the long orange and black stripped tail and ears on his head.

On shaky arms his mother righted herself into a sitting position panting harshly, “you’re not welcomed here. You know that! I’m going to call the police.”

The tigerman squatted down straddling her almost grasping and engulfing his mother’s chin in one of his hands. The look in his eyes was absolutely menacing as he studied her shaky pupils, “sh, sh, sh, my love. I know you try to resist me, but I love you. It’s always been you. You don’t have to push me away anymore.” His mother scoffed through the harsh grip upsetting the tiger who released his hold on her with a shove.

A whimper from the couch caught the tigerman’s attention, his head turning eerily slow to Robert. He looked back and forth between the child and her. “Leave him alone!” She shrieked as she noticed the math adding up in the nightmare’s eyes. The tiger raised up from his squat, walking towards Robert sashaying in a curious manner even more because of his love’s protest. Robert curled into the couch further trying to get away. His hair stuck to his forehead matted by cold sweat. The only security he felt was holding onto his juice box like it was his lifeline. “And who are you?”

The air in the room stilled, the hot humidity of the room intensifying to a suffocating degree. “Honey go to your room okay?” His mother got up on her feet, done with fighting in a disadvantage position. It’s been eleven years since she’s seen him, the man who stalked her…raped her. She shuffled towards the landline slowly, but the man was focus on Robert. His beady feral eyes searching the features of Robert’s.

The longer the tiger stared at the child it clicked. “He’s mine, isn’t he?”

His mother stood still like a cadaver. Her blood running cold as goosebumps raised. His beady eyes turned towards her a cynical smile blooming. “We have a child my love? He’s mine.” Robert’s eyes shifted back and forth between his mother and the man who claimed to be his father. Robert slowly inched off the chair unsure of sudden movements, but for maybe the first time he was going to listen to his mother. “Hey, no, no buddy. You don’t recognize me?” Robert stood in the middle of the living room slowly inching towards the hallway shaking his head gently never breaking contact.

“No Mister.”

The tiger scoffed, “he calls me Mister. I’m your dad kid. You never told him love?” Again, stillness filled the room, the tigerman was growing impatient and tired of the fatigue. The tiger growled deep in his throat anger filtering out of his pores enough to affect the external air. “He’s mine.” The growl wasn’t a question, but a statement. He was angry that he never knew he had a son, much less with the woman he loves and adores. He stepped forward and that was the last straw. His mother clutched at the back of the tiger’s jacket trying to shove him out of the house, “get out! Get out! I’m calling the cops!”

The man’s eyes narrow his pupils slitting as he lunges forward for closer inspection blinded by rage but before he could reach Robert like a feline as well his mother pounced on his father. The man obviously overpowered his mother as he easily fought off the throws and punches. The tussle was short, but it felt like an eternity in Robert’s eyes. He wanted to step in, but his knees were locked. “Mom! Please, don’t hurt my Mom!” Tears were building in Robert’s eyes the salinity stinging, but he refused to blink to take his eyes off his mother. The tiger became impatient with the useless argument, forget the restraining order. The tiger roared picking up his lover and chucking her onto the glass coffee table. The room went silent as his mother didn’t get back up, her bruising face as stoic as she was awkwardly laid on the living room floor among the rumble. 

The last thing he could remember seeing was the orange syrupy juice that stained his mother’s half knitted blanket as her body was draped over it and then the memories go orange.

 

Archer was panting from the recollection, hunched over and clutching at his knees. He stood in front of you, his vision doubling as he saw his mother in the same position. He looked at his hands dripping thick orange syrup. It wasn’t you in front of him, but his mother. “You have no idea what you’re getting into. He’s going to hurt you! He’s going to kill you! You need to see what those—hybrids, what they deserve!” He stood shakily on his feet his head bowed forward and he spoke quietly enough for you to hear. “Maybe then you’ll understand.”

The two weasels grabbed onto your arms dragging you forth. You frantically looked where you were approaching until the stench hit you first before the visual, your body still like lead. Your knees scrapped against the dirt, pebbled and sharp rock cutting into your calves and knees as they dragged you closer to the edge. You didn’t bother making sounds, you didn’t want them to know you were shaking or fearful of their potential. It got you through the moments knowing they didn’t know your potential either. The closer they brought you to edge you took full sight of the pit. The sunlight ombred to its full spectrum as they brought you from the shadows, the hot morning sun was blinding. The two righted you on your shaky knees dictating your erectness without your support or consent. This time around, if the smell wasn’t an indication, you saw what was within the pit…was within.

The maggots that probably once encompassed these beings have fully fledged into flies. Bones, fully and partial rotted corpses filled the pit halfway. Your knees buckled under you and the suppressed shivers you were trying to conceal wrecked themselves through you. You were on the cusp of losing bile again, if it wasn’t for the constriction of your throat.

Archer snapped his fingers and like a puppeteer cutting the string of his doll, the two let go and you collapsed to the floor. You loomed over the edge not once breaking contact with the souls that once were. You could tell they weren’t just anyone, they had specific holes in their partial lobes that were meant for some anatomical limb. The most familiar trait was the elongated canines on every skull. A sob broke through your fortitude.

The puppeteer steps up next to you kicking a loose rock into the pit hitting with a clank and rattle against bones. “Funny, the kits fathers been in there what twenty-something years now right? God, I can remember the look on his face when we dragged him here. He was such a crybaby about his family, bitchin’ that he had a family to protect. He didn’t deserve a family. I nearly forget about this place, but with you two being so persistent I had to do the honor of bringing this shit hole back up.” Archer looked down at you, or his mother, he wasn’t so sure anymore. “If you leave him and only open your eyes to see that the world would be better without those disgusting things.”

You nearly fell face forward into the pits, a new wave of nausea looming on the horizon. The unnerving cringe surged through your body. The feeling something evil you wanted to expel but you didn’t have the ability to exercise. This was beyond what you ever expected, Archer was pure evil. The epitome of the molten tar that seeps from the mouth of the devil. Tae’s dad was in there. He’s been alone for so long in there. An ugly sob escaped your lips no matter how strong you tried to remain.

He crouched down holding your tear stained cheeks oddly gently again between his palms. His eyes were glossy searching yours for redemption, “you see it don’t you? Don’t you Mom? You see how truly awful those hybrids are. You see how they are creatures that should’ve never existed. I’m better than them. I’m human. I’m not a—.” He struggles to spit it out, gurgling the word for a moment his hands monetarily tightening on you, “…hybrid! That tigerman is not my father! I’m not them, and you aren’t either. Don’t you see it? Let’s get rid of those things, okay?” He gently rubs your cheekbones adoring your soft skin, the humanity of you.

You couldn’t grasp onto a single thought, until Archer spoke again, “okay?” All your erratic thoughts prismed into a single white light. The light was your guide through the darkness. The face of a humble man with fox ears and the gentlest smile came through. Taehyung’s father is within that pit, and you’re not about to let injustices win. If not for you, but for those souls in there. Your gaze hardened as you slowly and proudly lifted your head and you spoke with an unwavering tone. “No, I won’t. You, Archer are the monster. The true monster! This is wrong!”

All hope he had for you drained from his face as it changed from its soft caress to the familiar brutish expression. “I knew you were always going to be a bitch, begging at the feet of those inferior to you. You’re nothing more than them.” He stood up not breaking eye contact as he fished in his back pocket pulling out a Glock pistol. He curled it around him, raising it slowly pointing the barrel directly between your eyes. You froze. The confidence you felt mere seconds ago melting away digesting in the ball of spit you swallowed hard. Any training in the art of persuasion and ideas were nothing against the machinery; your mind was still swirling from the chloroform. Logically there’s no swift move that wouldn’t get you killed otherwise.

You had thick skin, but even calluses peel.

You closed your eyes and spoke softly to yourself as the last relief of tears mixed with cold sweat quietly descended. “Dad, I’ve missed you.” Archer’s rough thumb clicked the safety click off. “The firefly guarded her fox. She did the best she could Dad. I’ve done all I can. I’ll light up his way from a distance now just like you do. Two fireflies are better than one, right?”

You could hear Archer adjusting his grip on the handle, his sweaty palms unable to steady his grip; scrapping his jagged fingernails against the gun metal. “Goodnight Y/N.”

Your body relaxed against all odds as his finger depressed the trigger. A unidirectional thunder clapped as you waited for lightening to strike. The forest itself was a quiet place, but the sound following the lighting was a whole new silence only certain creatures knew. You waited and waited but lightening never struck you, but you felt the rain.

You blinked your eyes open to the gasping figure of a man or what once was a man. In a gasp of his last breath more rain sprinkled down upon you, “Mom.” Archer’s eyes glossed over as his soul emptied and his body followed along as it slumped sideways following the momentum of the gunshot exit. The gun in his hand clattered to the ground in front of you and he fell into the pit of his victims.

You were so shell shocked, the sound of the gunshot still ringing in your ear at a numbing decibel. Sounds of shoes shuffling forward broke your resolve, a new wave of fear and uncertainty gurgling. The owner of lightening lowered the barrel to his side. The tall, lanky man, who went on the streets as Arrow, scoffed stepping into place where Archer once stood. “Always knew he was useless in the end anyways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 05/26/2018:[The Firefly that Guards the Fox 9](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/174292990673/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-9)


	10. Chapter 10

1990

“I guess somewhere along the way  
He must have let us all out to play  
Turned his back and all God’s children  
Crept out the back door

And it’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate  
Hanging on to hope  
When there is no hope to speak of  
And the wounded skies above say it’s much, much too late  
Well, maybe we should all be praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand  
Oh, you hold on to what you can  
And charity is a coat you wear twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man  
Your television takes a stand  
And you find that what was over there is over here”

The song played on the jukebox for the fifth time that night and subconsciously Archer began humming along. “It’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate. Hanging on to hope, when there is no hope to speak of…,” he mumbled along feeling the emotion behind George Michael’s words. The poison in his glass sloshed out as he nearly missed his mouth. He wasn’t drunk, tipsy at most, but he was drowning in his sorrow. It was her birthday, she would’ve turned forty-six this year. Since he’s moved to the city four years ago, forced on the streets after turning eighteen by federal law, nothing has been working out for him. He just got fired from his third part time job in two months and he wasn’t sure how he was going to make rent for his small studio that was really a glorified closet. He doesn’t really know how he’s going to pay for his drinks tonight but act first think later.

“My mind’s tired  
I’ve worked so hard all week  
Cashed my check  
I’m ready to go  
I promise you  
I’ll show you such a good time

Come on baby, let’s get away  
Let’s save our troubles for another day  
Come go with me, we’ve got it made  
Let me take you on an escapade (let’s go)

Escapade  
We’ll have a good time  
Escapade  
Leave your worries behind  
Escapade  
Well you could be mine  
Escapade  
An escapade”

Janet whispered sweet nothings to him next; this night was full of empty promises. Nicotine was swarming through the air and hung like clouds near the ceiling of the bar. The bar was an absolute hole in the wall where the nobodies went, but it was away from everything familiar.

A chair two seats away from his screeched against the brittle wooden floor. Archer sided eyed the new comer judging him silently as the man was far too overdressed for this bar. The man wore a white button up tucked into black slacks. The blazer was oversized along with his red tie tucked into his slacks. He obviously was from the other side of town. Archer scoffed taking a big gulp of his drink. The rich always wants to look down on the poor raise their arched noses down to people like him.

We’re not a spectacle, we’re just as equally human.

Another reason why he liked this bar was because those hybrids weren’t allowed in here. He was surrounded by people like him…or people he wanted to be like. They didn’t have to know the truth. He was human…enough.

The bartender slid over a drink taking the bill from the stranger. “May I ask what you’re scoffing at?” The stranger raised a brow at him.

“What do you care? You’re only here to spectate the lesser than.” Archer downed his beverage he’s been babying in one go requesting another immediately afterwards.

“Who says I’m here to spectate? But to humor the idea, why not? Let me guess who you are. It’s the middle of the week and you’re here drinking and singing a ballad to yourself. You just lost your job and you’re moping about it. You’re probably wondering: how am I going to pay all those bills? How am I ever going to get ahead in life? Why does life keep throwing things in my face that aren’t in my favor? Why me? Why me?” The stranger scanned him up and down with a bored expression. He couldn’t be any older than he was.

Robert’s jaw nearly fell out of its socket at the accuracy, but he wasn’t going to let the stranger have the upper hand. What would a lanky fellow like him know about him. Again, he scoffed sipping slowly from his new drink, “don’t act like you know me.”

The stranger laughed cheering his beverage with Robert’s to his surprise. “I’m right aren’t I?”

His fist tightened around his denim jacket that actually was property of his last job but out of spit he kept the jacket. He refused to answer, because all he wanted was to wallow in his emotions not be analyzed. It was her birthday and he was sad, the least the world could do was gift him that. The stranger continued to speak, “look maybe we got off on the wrong footing I’m Peter Sagitta.” Peter stuck out his hand offering some common ground, but Robert refused to take it letting it hang awkwardly in the air.

“Robert Archer.” Peter tucked his hand back picking up his glass to take a slow sip. He let the time mull over as he observed the languid man.

Sagitta leaned in towards Archer, “I’m buying out a place back in the country woodland area. I’m going to need your help there. We need people like you, ones who understand the true value of those things. We need someone like you with passion and ambition to move forward. To be the progressive one of the world, I can see it within you. You just been knocked down one too many times. You got big dreams, but you just need that push right? What do you say?”

Robert scanned the second attempt at an outstretched hand to him. It was like this guy was a psychic, he knew how to speak to him and it was working. It was exactly what he was looking for: a way out of this cyclic lifestyle he’s led. He knew he was a man worthy to be respected. He knew he was better than his environment let on. He was supposed to be someone, is destined to be someone.

“Okay.” He slid his hand into Peter’s gripping it tightly with a firm shake. It felt right, he knew this decision was about to change his life for the better. Things could only go up from here.

Peter ordered another round for the both of them in celebration. Robert couldn’t help smiling. He raised his glass to the clouds, “it’s my mother’s birthday you know?” Peter’s eyebrow arched, “oh yeah? Tell her I said happy birthday and that her son is about to make her very proud.” Robert’s smile broadened even further tears building in the corner of his eye. “Ya hear that Mom? I’m going to make you proud.”

He clanked his glass to Peter’s the cooper liquid reflecting the neonic colors in the janky bar and for the sixth time that night George Michael repeated himself.

2000

Thunder cracked harshly as the sky hung low enough to make a claustrophobe panic. The lights in the cloud illuminating a bit more than the headlights of still running car. Rain had yet to break, but the air sloshed the five surrounding the abyssal pit in humidity.

The fox still wore his work clothes, the scent of apples and soil mixing in with the unfamiliar dirt. The pebbles of the untouched ground scrapped harshly at his knees, but he kept his eyes centered on the arguing figures above in his kneeling position.

“Do it! I know you can do it. You’ve been following him for years now, don’t pussy out now because he’s got a family. Prove to me that you’re worthy of being someone supported by me and the Vagrants. Didn’t you always want to become someone. I can make you into someone even more than a guard at that shelter. If you do this you’re proving to me that you can handle bigger things. Unless you can’t handle it after all Archer? Are you going to bitch out?”

“like…,” Archer thought about it. “Even…a police chief?”

Arrow nodded smoothing a hand through his hair lighting up a cig, “yeah, yeah, I’ll take care of that old guy down town—you can become the police chief.”

Archer brought up the barrel of the gun to the temple of the fox the hounds have been chasing for years. The fox fidgets on his knees, bruises from earlier blooming along his tan skin. “If this is about that tiger hybrid…I swear I never said anything. No one knows. I’ll do anything…please, just let me go. I’ll disappear again. This doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to do this.” The familiar look of vulnerability crosses the fox’s eyes…something he’s seen in every single one he’s brought here. He lowered the gun to his side. This time felt a bit different, he was all for everything earlier but now the look in the fox’s eyes felt like razors grazing his wrist, but Arrow kept giving him a reason to keep going. The fox in front of him had no idea how far he could go, what’s one more disgusting hybrid gone. He was broadening his dreams, more than he could ever imagine. He was someone now. 

“please…please don’t do this. P—p—lease!” Archer raised the gun again towards the fox’s temple. The end of the barrel was shaking. The gun nearly slipping out of his hand from the sweat, and the weight of guilt accumulating on his hand. The soft rain diluted his vision the man who changed his life appearing before him. The feral eyes of a tiger’s yellowed slits narrowed with a roar as the beast lunged towards him. In panic he pulled the trigger along with a clap of thunder. The fox fell, swallowed up by the darkness of the abyss. It was all over, the deed was done.

Fireflies fluttered upwards and out of the dark pit from the disturbance.

“I knew you could do it, that’s my boy Bowman.” Arrow flicked his half-lit cigarette into the pit walking away slipping into the vehicle as one of his henchman closed the door behind him.

Sagitta was a calculated man, his nickname wasn’t Arrow for nothing, even if it was addressed only by few. He wasn’t one for precision, but accuracy. Nothing’s a coincidence.

2022

The metal clanked to a lock as an amateur guard walked him into the cell. He doesn’t bother looking around the room. He’s so upset that he had to run from the cops at all. He won’t familiarize himself anyways with this closet of a cell. Out of his inner pocket of his blazer he fished out his phone clicking on a contact and bringing it up to his ear. He doesn’t wait for the other side to speak as the calls picks up. “Get me the fuck out of here Bowman. I gave you that position for a reason. Motherfucker don’t make me call my Dad.” He hung up without a single word from the other line. He knew that his threats would get through to Bowman. “No one messes with the Sagitta.”

The lights of the security cameras reflected on his pale skin. He sat back reclining in the chair with his hands clasped under his nose. The light from the hallway didn’t disrupted his concentration as he watched the security feed. He watched the vixen round the receptionist desk to plant herself on the still warm chair. “Sir, you have guest, are we available for tours today?”

The woman followed his line of sight gasping out at the audacity of the woman and her husband. The receptionist tried opening the door to rush back out to stop the thieves. “Don’t. Let them.”

The woman looked back puzzled to him, “Mr. Sagitta, this is a breach of privacy!”

He laughed holding up a hand lazily towards her. “Let them go.”

Her eyes widened still struggling in her spot. “Sir!”

His eyes narrowed towards her, “don’t ever talk back to me.” She closed her mouth tight lipped just watching the screen as the thieves plugged in a USB taking information. His eyes followed them a chuckle of a laugh leaving his lips. How stupid did they think he was? That they could take information just like that and not get caught? There was nothing useful on that system, at least nothing that connected him anyways. “You may go now.” He dismissed the woman timely just to make them sweat a bit.

His eyes were glued to the woman scurrying out of the office chair. He didn’t realize how much he’s missed her face. “What a treat to be sent here by Pops and see some shiny candy. It’s been a while Sweetheart, and who would’ve known you chased fox tails.”

The tall, lanky man, who went on the streets as Arrow, scoffed stepping into place where Archer once stood. “Always knew he was useless in the end anyways. Tiger my ass, he’s always been a pussy.”

You looked around noticing the semicircle created by men dressed black and the two weasels falling in line with the others. Their faces were unaffected as the man they served for decades just lost his life. You then realized they never served him in the first place, it was the other way around. These men held no sympathy for life in them.

Through hazy eyes and buzzing ears you focused on them. The longer you stared the realization set in. You hid the tremble in your limbs well, or so you believed. As one turned around showing his back to you your eyes widened. The blue-gray tanager expanded its wings with a big, yellow sun behind it on the expanse on the back of his jacket. Arrow…he was the leader…the leader of the Episcopi Vagrants. One of most feared and mysterious gangs out there, and here you were on your knees facing the front lines of the feared army.

Arrow fished in his pocket for a partially burned Cubano flicking open a silver lighter to light it back to life. He took a deep drag exhaling a heavy sigh like a dragon who’s slumber was disturbed.

Through narrowed lids you dared to state your presence, “why the twisted games?”

He didn’t bother turning towards you flicking dying embers into the pit, “sweetheart, a bishop is to move freely among the pawns and bad bishops protects good pawns. Your knight isn’t coming.” He turned around to face his men waving the cigar, “call Yates tell him the Bow broke. Set up another auction, the police are going too be busy trying to find this guy we should take advantage of the time. Oh and call Pops tell him I’ll be late for dinner.” He spoke as if you weren’t there, his agenda was still on his business, even dinner.

You realized that his intentions weren’t for you to come out of this alive. If the way he treated Archer was any example you were in deep. This rich boy was just playing games with these people, just like he did with Archer. He was playing the roll of a leader, when he wasn’t even capable. But why? Why do all this? Didn’t the underground already provide enough entertainment? “Why go for hybrids though?”

He took another long drag spouting out more ash when he was content. “It’s not about the hybrids Sweetheart. It’s never been about them. I…was bored. This is fun. I have the money to spend, why not let people run around while I watch? You know people are so gullible and especially when it comes to money they’ll do anything. I mean women like you will go for the money in the end, so you should know exactly why Sweetheart.” He pointed to the pit making an example of the newest addition.

He flicked some ash your way, but you refused to budge, the anger from before coming back tenfold. You were tired of this and you wanted to live gang leader or not. “You know this was easier than I thought? It was fun watching you all squirm around for a while. It was especially fun seeing you in that dress that night sweetheart. You looked so pretty at the club but look at you now, blood and all.” His eyes shifted around but his body still faced the pit.

You’re still on your knees a pebble cutting in to your leg, but the adrenaline was running hot. The nickname reigniting a fire within. You rose to a kneeling position wobbling on your feet standing tall. Your eyes locked on the back of Arrow’s head with a new fire burning in the pit of your stomach. “You’ve got it wrong Arrow. Hybrids aren’t products and people aren’t toys. You can’t treat them like that.”

The man turned around with a look of feigned pity on his face, “oh Sweetheart, come on now. You’re right, they aren’t toys. Tough luck for you though Sweetheart, were putting you on the market. You’ll be the star at the auction tomorrow. It’d be such a shame to let you go to waste in the pit and you’d go for a pretty penny.”

Unexpectedly you stood tall, like Joan of the Arc, blood sprinkled across your face and your clothing fluttering lightly in the wind. You held the gun up proudly challenging for the fallen ones and yourself. “Your games end here Arrow.” He laughed, even his men around him laughed some choking on air and nudging eachother with their elbows.

What you do next is unexpected to everyone, maybe even yourself for how reckless you’re being. About twenty to one, your odds were short, but your brother always taught you even with slim chances nothing’s impossible. You lunged forth, tears falling from the corners of your eyes as you thrusted forward. You switched the gun in your hands so your gripping the barrel to knock it against Arrows temple. The Cubano fell from his mouth with a grunt as he grasped your forearm changing your momentum and you crash to the floor. You knocked the back of your head on the hard ground, your vision spotting. The laughs continued, but you got up and still fought. You had to buy yourself time, do something. You stood up again, again and again after being knocked down landing only a few hits. The nausea was back full force, but you didn’t know the meaning of giving up.

You picked up the discarded gun again pointing it Arrow, “I’m not giving up, not now, not ever!”

Arrows expression softened as if he was cooing a child, taking your outburst as a tantrum, “Sweetheart—.”

“Stop right there!” You turned around at the sound of a familiar voice calling out to you. Your heart fluttering and relaxing for a brief second. You turned towards the wall of men and women dressed like modern day knights with their machinery from the opposite side of the pit. They emerged from the trees quiet like ghost, but with the ferocity in their eyes like demons. Captain Im stood in the center of the brigade, his voice commanding with the rest of the unit and then some behind him.

Tae stood out amongst the brigade wearing a bulletproof vest, his orange features standing out amongst the brown and black crowd. His eyes widened, “Y/N!”

The wind was gently blowing your loose hair over your face, “Tae.”

Arrow took advantage of the moment fully turning you around pinning your back to his chest and twisting your position to submission. He was able to easily manage the Glock out of your hand into his. Your eyes widened, but you remained still, you trusted in whatever Captain Im had planned.

“Well look who decided to show up to the party!” Your knights in matte bulletproof vest and swat gear on the opposing side of the pit stilled as Captain Im lifted his hand to still his unit. The rottweiler’s face was stern and hardened that reflected in individuals alongside him.

“Arrow lower the gun, we can work this out.” Captain Im tried some semblance, but the menace wedged the gun behind your back just on your right shoulder blade. You didn’t let your breathing falter you trusted in your knights. Archer and Arrow may have had hounds, but you had the pound. You trusted them.

The air grew thick with impatience on your side as you could feel the gun shifting on your shoulder. Arrow seemed to be contemplating something. You knew and he knew that he needed to get out of this fast. Gang leader or not, he was still a spoiled brat underneath his bark.

Arrow’s hand shifted on you and within seconds he pushed you forward. Your feet weren’t able to stabilize as you watch the world turn. The fall felt like a minute or even longer, but you hit the top of the pile within seconds. Your vision blackened for a moment dancing to life again as you blinked hard. Your body was too exhausted and the jagged pieces of bones cutting into you made it painful to move. You tried opening your eyes further, but they only posted to half-mast. You were looking directly into the empty eyes of, the shell of a man, Archer. How ironic.

“Y/N!” The scream nearly ripped Taehyung’s vocal cords. Coming to a compromise was out the window, he was out for blood. He’s done with playing the nice guy. He ran backwards creating a clearing for himself and he picked up pace full force, running the fastest he’s ever ran in his life. He lunged over the gap that was at least four meters wide. His hybrid half taking over and he allowed the animalistic side to take control. His jaw was fully extended his sharp canines glistening in the morning light letting a scream loose. His eyes narrowed to slits focusing only on one target: Arrow.

The police unit behind him went into action as well as, having no choice but to protect. The once peaceful forest turned into a warzone.

Arrow ran through the blockade of his Vagrants to stand behind them calling out for them to protect him. However, Taehyung made his way forward regardless of the men in front of him. His instincts were locked on to one scent and one scent only. The first hit came from a follower striking him hard, but it proved futile in distracting him. He grabbed the collar of the assailant throwing a right hook and then another. His vision was red. He was going for it. He let go of the being when they didn’t fight back anymore. More men clouded around him, but like a fox he weaved through them only to knock them on their backs or hit when necessary.

He noticed Arrow flailing through his men, eyes wide as he attempted to escape, but Taehyung wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Taehyung!” Jungkook called after him the hare catching up to him faster than the rest of the unit. Howls from the German Shepard’s followed as they clashed with the Episcopi Vagrants. Growls and snarls while human grunts and shouts melded together.

Everyone attempted to make way towards the pit, but they kept coming like ants towards them. Mark hunched over when a kick landed center on his stomach but returned the gesture with pleasure. Just like the bits of origami on his desk he folded and bent his opposition. Jackson was fending off three men as they tried cornering him to a tree. “Whoa, hey let’s talk this out okay?” The scoff that followed let him know that there was no way that they were going to back down. He shrugged his golden tail swinging, “have it your way.” He beckoned them forth as they all closed in on him.

One out of the two men that used to follow Bowman rushed towards Yugyeom with a knife out. The cocky chocolate lab beckoned him forth with a curl of his fingers. He’s always hated this guy, especially when he acted high and mighty around the office. The dagger went for his throat, honestly, Yugyeom was a bit disappointed with the blatant attacks. He thought someone as well versed in two timing he would put up a better fight. The knife whizzed by him so fast he could only hear the sound of it. He used his relaxed state to his advantage twisting the forearm of his opponent, knocking his shoulder with his other throwing him off his rhythm. It was a coil of bodies the next second.

No one was left unattended to in the rumble.

You could barely make out what was going on above besides blurs of shadows on the wall accompanied by terrible muffled sounds of cracking and grunts. War was raging above that was the only thing you were sure of and here you were on the lazy river of Styx’s with innocent souls. Blinking caught your eyes as a firefly fluttered around you. Even thought it was daytime, the creature still came towards you landing on your awkwardly splayed hand. Through a whimper turning into a whisper, “Tae.”

He ran. His vision tunneled. His breath and heartbeat were harsh in his ears. Arrow’s swallow eyes widened, the yellow of his sclera making him look halfway out the door. Arrow stopped in his trek raising the gun towards Taehyung taking an unsteady shot. Easily Tae could see the move ahead of time finding time to hide behind a tree. He finally noticed the familiar face of his roommate, Jungkook, also taking refugee behind a tree. When the shots stopped and the last shell hit the ground Jungkook nodded bolting forward with Tae following behind easily.

“What took you so long Kim?” Arrow’s maniacal laughter was more from his insecurity. He’s never been one to fight his own wars, always having others do it for him. He was good at one thing and that was running. The look in Arrows eyes was one he’s seen before, the same look he’s seen in clients’ eyes when they know they’ve lost. Arrow knew that there weren’t any more pawns for him to dictate, there was no bow for the arrow to propel forth anymore. He was alone.

“Just you wait Arrow!” Taehyung charged forth against Jungkook’s warning. Arrow tried shooting again out of habit, but the magazine was empty and useless. The air hummed around him with careful footwork avoiding the projectile of a gun coming at him. Growls of rage coming from them both as they clashed. Blows and jabs smacked against flesh. Arrow was quick as dodging punches thrown by Taehyung, but not quick to miss the ones coming from Jungkook. Even though Arrow was outnumbered, he was like a chihuahua coming back continuously for more trouble.

Tae clenched his jaw reading himself for another hit but stopped when a wheeze of insult came his way. “You can’t protect them, just like you can’t protect her. Look at you, you left her in the pit. Just like you did your father.” When enough was enough Jungkook gave a look at Taehyung and they both charged simultaneously at the dazed man.

The bishop was corner by two knights, and he was out of moves.

Checkmate.

In an act of bravery, with blood pouring from opened scrapes and wounds on his face he still had the audacity to laugh. He raised his hands in defeat almost lifelessly before another strike hit him, “alright, I give up.” Taehyung still didn’t believe it ready to strike again, but Jungkook stopped him. Violence was the way to solve things, Taehyung of all people preached that.

Jungkook sided eyed Arrow stepping forward cautiously taking his gun out. “Flat on your front, arms at your side palms up Arrow.” The man followed his instructions wincing at the movements.

Jungkook stood in front of Tae squatting to cuff Arrow, “go to y/n. I got this!” When the red fully cleared from his eyes he hesitated, but Jungkook was right. “Go!”

Taehyung rushed back towards the clearing to the edge of the pit. He noticed the other unmoving figure in the pit but disregarded to comment on it. “Y/N, are you okay? Can you hear me?”

The firefly lifted off you, twirling upwards its illuminance still bright despite the sunlight. You twitched trying to shift towards the sound. “You’re going to have to stand up Y/N. You can do it, come on, just grab onto my hand.” You winced as you propped yourself up, you shifted meticulously so you didn’t put pressure on your wrist. “You can do it come on!” The overstretched hand called out to you. You carefully wobbled over balancing on the bones, but still finding it in yourself to respect them.

You reached out towards the fox, but your hands were still a meter apart. He tried leaning forward but the edge of the pit began to crumble. “No, no, don’t give up. It’s okay, jump for my hand okay? Try for me Y/n. I got you. I promise I won’t let go. I’ll never let go.” Most of those words were for himself, but he was worried with the shifty look in your eyes as if you’d collapse any second. You looked around searching for some sort of mound to the bones and stepped up on some skulls.

“Okay, Tae.” Mustering up all the action potential you had left in your legs you jumped while Tae leaned forward slightly. You grabbed onto the wall with what you couldn’t make of his grip. A new found strength you’ve never seen and known from Tae pulled through along with grunts form both ends and heaving. You dug your feet into the side of the walls climbed your way up to help.

Once you were at ground level you fell into his arms, the tears you were holding back falling forth. “I’m sorry Tae I’m sorry Tae.” You poured it all out, time never was on your side anyways. He gripped you harder in his embrace, “what do you mean y/n?” You looked back into the pit then at the searching eyes of Tae. “Archer he…he…I found him Tae.” The words just couldn’t find themselves in something tangible, but the look on Tae’s face seemed like he understood what you were trying to say. At the moment he doesn’t think he could bear to handle the details anyways.

Once you called down enough Taehyung and you followed to where everyone was gathered. Men by the dozen belong to the Vagrants were lined up, all cuffed, alive and ready to be transported away. You stopped a bragging golden retriever, Jackson, “tell Captain Im Archer is in there.” The dog’s eyes widened saluting you to run to superior.

You were supporting each other as Taehyung was slightly limping, “let’s go home Y/N.” You smiled at Tae, finally feeling somewhat at ease. The hardest part was over. The man who caused suffering was finally being brought to justice. Tae was going to have justice. Dad was going have justice.

Arrow’s head hung low, he was quiet, too quiet. He obeyed everything asked of him. He was too docile.

Tae was busy checking up on you, trying to wipe off all the drying blood and holding you in his arms. “Don’t worry Y/n, were going to get you some help okay?” You nodded letting your muscles untense for a bit, but that only let the soreness and tenderness ease in. You would only relax when we’re out of here. Things were over, but not over just yet until you saw Arrow being transported away.

“Tae, there’s something I have to tell you.” You wanted to say it directly, give him time to have closer. Give him the ability to face the resting place of his father with his head held high.

But of course, flowers don’t bloom in dreams. Arrow bolted upwards like a zombie rising, knocking an officer with his head shuffling out of his handcuffs and snatched the gun out of the cop’s holster. He held the gun up clicking off the safety and pointed it towards Taehyung all within seconds.

You saw the glimmer of the barrel facing towards you both. Taehyung’s back was turned towards Arrow so you’re the one that sees it first. The same haunting laugh comes again and without last words he pulled the trigger.

Your heartbeat thrums through your ears and upon instinct you spin the two of you around. Your struck by lightning and the electricity is instant. Thunder sounded on a clear day. You spread your wings concealing the fox in light.

It hurt.

It hurt so bad.

You’re falling. Your wings retracting back. All your senses were muffled but the extent Tae’s eyes were extended and by the shape of his mouth he was screaming. The epicenter of the strike rippled throughout your body like a hot wire. The hand holding you up came around him to the front colored in a syrupy burgundy. His voice thinned even further as panic really set in, “why would you–! Firefly, no—no don’t close your eyes!” You were blinking heavily and longer with each second.

You hand shakily came up to his cheek in attempts to settle him and calm him down despite your situation. He always came first in your mind. “Tae,” you coughed the muscle in your back tensing, so your next words were a wheeze, “I’m sorry I couldn’t find him earlier.”

The chaos is only momentarily as the pack and hare apprehend the rogue weapon.

Fluttering distracted you from the heavy feeling in your chest and shaky hands stabilizing you. A firefly landed on your nose. The insistent ringing in your ear intensified, as your steady breathing turned into gasp. The last words that tickled your ears were, “stay with me—Firefly!”

The world went blue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 06/05/2018:[The Firefly that Guards the Fox 10](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/174606458075/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-10)


	11. Final

The chair creaked in protested as you reclined withholding the scoff hanging on the tip of your tongue. The respondent’s side was becoming pathetic to watch as you were able to break down their defenses one by one, now their babbling lawyer was left grabbing at straws

“Your Honors, ladies and gentlemen…my clients, students of Saint Ambrose Academy, since the end of the trail the students have continued to prove that they are good students and individuals of our society by creating Hybrids and Humans Alliance club at their school. My clients testified under oath that they didn’t ostracize or bully David Miller,” hard gulp, “the appellants still haven’t presented real evidence to you t-t-to show that this it’s…true. That means—that there is no reasonable doubt and, therefore, you must hold the charges still valid of my clients as not guilty.” As soon as their lawyer turned away from the six judges he pulled out his once-white handkerchief from his blazer, wiping again at the sweat pouring down his forehead avoiding looking at the parents of his clients.

He sat with a sigh in his chair and you thrusted off your seat nearly floating to a stand, you felt like rocky entering the last round. Brilliant like a firefly, but cunning like a fox.

You searched the crowd once, landing last on Mrs. Miller, who you gave a faint smile of assurance. With a polite outstretched hand to the court and attendants, “I want to tell you a story and I want you to picture it for me.” Your eyes landed on Key in the audience, who was glaring at you for taking an unusual approach, this was a big deal after all, but you reassured him by turning away with a small, short nod.

“Imagine a mother standing outside the entrance of her child’s school. She stands there with a bag of warm food that is making the people standing nearby stomachs rumble with jealousy.

I want you to imagine as she rubs her rough callused hands together, the same hands that worked hard to put the bag of food in her hands.

She waits…and waits. She watches as the parents around her smile brightly as their child approaches them. Their child hands their parent their school bag while they wave their hands around telling their parents about their day.

She watches and watches as the crowd dims until it’s just her, but her child still hasn’t come yet. Until she sees them, and they’re stumbling towards her. Their face is bruised, and they smell like iron. Their book bag drags behind them because they have no strength left to carry it.

She rushes forward dropping the plastic bag as they collapse to the Earth in her arms. They’re sobbing into her shoulder crying out, ‘Mom, mom…mom.’ They barely have the strength to mutter the name that usually is always sung in happiness.

Imagine the child is so beaten and at the brink of life that they struggle to open an eye and their teeth are stained red.

A child, the same age as the woman’s, walks by with a hand in their pocket stopping next to them, ‘Who’s going to save you now?’

Can you picture it? Can you picture the child in his mother’s arms…and she can’t do anything about it? While the world spits at her feet, can you see her there right before your eyes?

Now imagine that child with ears that sprouted at the top of his head and the tail that grew from the base of his spine.”

You paused, letting your words settle, “Your Honors there is absolutely no question about what was addressed today. The students of Ambrose Academy come from well off, and particularly famous families and it was proven today the previous judge, Gordie, was involved personally with the parents of the respondents. It was also found that the parents were involved with the previous police chief Robert Archer as well for the same reasons. The parents actively covered up their son’s behavior. They used their disposition and affluence to cover up terrible crimes.

Therefore, hybrid discrimination was enacted and my client, David Miller, on top of suffering bullying and discrimination from the respondents, also suffered because of the system that was meant to protect him.

I rest my case your honor.”

It’s quite in the court. You can see faces looking away in shame or disposing of tears that don’t have the pleasure of running. Yet the faces behind the opposition remain stern, even blushed with anger as they follow each of your steps and remain there as you sit down.

The judges come back after debating if the trail should reenter the courts or the previous charges should stand. The judge at the center of bench leans in to his mic, “Well, after shifting through all evidence and considering the possible criminal involvement—ughh—in this case, it has been found an error in law. The previous jurisdiction has been declared a reversible error. The case of Students of Ambrose Academy vs. David Miller will be reopened and taken to trail. That is all, court is adjourned.”

David crashed into you, crying into your shoulder as his ears snapping on your cheek as he wiggled about. One of his legs was thumping and his teeth were clinking like wine glasses. You wrapped your arms around the boy that become like a little brother to you and patted his back, “It’s halfway over David.” The reversing will send the case back to trail and now David will have a fighting chance. Hybrids have a fighting chance.

Mrs. Miller darted up from her seat, brushing past the rich housewives, who were either fuming or a permanent agape mouth, pulling us both in for a hug weeping on my other shoulder. The hug was then joined by Key, Mrs. Lee and then Krystal, who rolled her eyes first before succumbing to the urge to join, even Mrs. Smith, the receptionist who begged to come. It’s not cohesive, but Ms. Miller continued to mutter out thank yous and thank yous for not giving up on us.

You looked up at the clock at the back of the courtroom and gasped. You managed to wiggle out of the cluster of affection, “I’m sorry I’d really love to stay longer. Mrs. Miller Key and Mrs. Lee will fill you in on the rest of the procedures to follow from here. Have a good evening!” You waved off to the group picking up your briefcase leaving the celebration for another.

You pushed open the doors of the courtroom and immediately the flashing lights blinded you. The clicks were once every millisecond and the questions flew off the wall as reporters shoved mics in your face. You keep moving forth until you made it to the lobby and turned abruptly to the crowd of journalist. You give them a coy smile, “The fireflies shine the brightest in the dark.” The media lowered their mics at the odd statement, looking at one another for a clue, but you offer them a dip of your head and start jogging down the flights of stairs, you were already an hour late.

“Taxi, Taxi! Take me to this address please!” You passed him the little sticky note you’ve had in your pocket that you’ve ripped off your note board this morning. You then pointed a stern finger at him, “I’m going to change, and if you don’t peek back I’ll give you a fifty-dollar tip.” He nodded his head a smart smile on his face as he drove off.

.

.

.

The clack of your heels echoed louder than you anticipated, the sound radiating off the tall walls that led up a few more floors. You plopped down on one of the benches near the railing with a heavy sigh. The champagne was making your mouth bone dry, you could feel sweat rolling down your temples to your collar. You popped open the first button of your blouse feeling the cool air reach inside as you fluttered the fabric a few times to ventilate. You reclined back with a single arm supporting as you rotated your right arm only to a certain degree, breathing in “fresh” city air.

When you opened your eyes slowly, the infinite amount of city lights and rumbling of distant traffic greeted you. It was a big change from what was going on inside the past hour, the sheer amount of blue and pink balloons could make anyone claustrophobic. You snuck a glance back over your shoulder to the crowd inside. A smile broke out as you saw the stoic dragon dip a quick, sweet kiss to his swollen wife. The crowd of cooing women around them nearly melted to the floor, adoration clouding their eyes. The dragon groaned and rolled his eyes, you chuckled along with his blushing wife.

You turned back towards the sea of lights, you focused on the office building across the way only a few lights were on. A woman, around your age, was typing diligently on her computer sipping coffee every now and then. You declared to yourself, “I’m going to get my own office one day.” You pictured yourself in her spot, your own plaque sitting on your desk with useless trinkets and—a tap on your shoulder?

You nearly jump out of your own skin at the unexpected contact, lost in your dream. “Aren’t you cold?” A tail lucidly curled around you as Taehyung plopped down next to you tail securing itself around your waist loosely.

You shook your head, the night air was chilly, but it was more welcoming than the heat from all the bodies indoors. “I just need a break from the squealing women and the insistent asking if I’m getting married. I’ve had enough questioning today in court.”

He laughed enough that his shoulders were shaking, more so in empathy, and you looked over towards him with a cheeky brow raise snickering as well. He was already staring back at you the smile that twinkled in his eyes. He looked very casual, something you rarely saw, shoulders squared out in his button up, his ears twitching when the wind picked up. The string lights played on his golden skin and he was nothing short of an image of out a magazine.

“So, I’ve heard you really pissed of the elite?” You lightly played with the tail tickling your forearm smirking his way with all telling look.

He straightened out voice a bit more serious but held endearment, “You did a good job for your first time in court. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, I was down at the station longer than expected.” He made sure to look you in the eyes as he spoke, ”Thank you for doing what you did for them…for all of us.” You nodded softly taking a sip of your drink oddly feeling a blush at the way he looked at you.

He leaned forward, just stopping short of your noses touching, his alluring aura clouding around you. He grabbed your arm lightly, applying slight pressure on your tricep in a testing manner, “Does it still hurt?”

You put your hand over his squeezing it tight.

.

.

.

The spoon aiming towards your mouth jolts, sloshing lukewarm soup all over your front as the door slammed open. The truth is you could feed yourself, but your mother insisted you shouldn’t move around too much. “Mmmm—Mom!” You picked up a napkin and wiped away wasted nutrition, but it only seemed to spread it on the canvas hospital gown.

“Sorry Honey,” she turned towards your brother, “how many times do I have to repeat myself, be careful with the door! This place is expensive!” It was nice having your parents around, this was the first time Mom was doing anything similar to this for you. As a kid when you had the flu she just passed you some pills with the injunction to get over it.

Your nurse, the same shy nurse who attend to you your previous visit and now your brother’s girlfriend, smacked your brother on the arm, “I’m sorry Y/n, I’ll get you another gown.”

You waved her off after taking another spoonful of food, “No, don’t worry about it, it’ll come out.” Your brother grabbed Stephanie’s hand maneuvering through the already packed room.

Jin, an old friend who you haven’t seen in a while and discovered to be a friend of Tae’s as well, came in with a card made by the kids from his shelter. Jungkook and his team was here all bringing gifts of their own. Speaking of the cunning fox, he sat next to you on the bed speaking to Hoseok. The fox stepped between the two of you when he caught on that Hobi was talking your ear off even as your mother began feeding you lunch. Tae’s Mom was gossiping with others in the room. The room was filled with other friends, some of who you’ve just met but were all close to people around you.

The only reason about twenty people fit in a single room was because Yoongi’s fiancé, a NP that’s worked at his hospital for a long time was able to get you in a VIP room. It helped a little too when the president of the hospital found out famous lawyer Kim Taehyung was in the hospital too, as he was a fan of Taehyung.

At the end of the day, it was just nice being surrounded by people again.

The first months here at the hospital were isolating. When you first came in your toxicology report based on the amount of chloroform in your system was near a lethal level. The effect on your hepatic system was concerning, and as far as your doctor noted, there has been no CNS damage. Regarding the bullet wound injury, it didn’t affect any major arteries or organs. It lodged itself awkwardly in your shoulder blade tearing through muscle and cracking bone. The caliber wasn’t big, so the damage was minimal compared to what it could have been. You truly were a partial corpse when you arrived. The doctors were worried that any additional stress would be bad on your system, so you were limited in interaction from the outside and information.

You were constantly reminded by the medical staff that you’re a miracle case and you must have someone watching over you.

When your zombie-self grew a brain and liver regenerated, once you were able to walk you snuck out of your room and made your way into the lobby with your IV pole. You sat in front of the TV broadcasting the news. It was boring for the most part, droning useless facts and gossip considered local stories until, “Breaking news, Justin Yates, CEO of T&S Co, and Judge Gordie were found together at Sun & Cider, a brothel in the Eastern District. We’re going now live to outside the downtown police station, where Police chief is giving a live statement.”

The footage shifts over to Captain Im, now elected police chief, standing at a podium with a million mics lined up for him to speak in. “Hello, good evening ladies and gentlemen. Justin Yates and William Gordie were found today in the Eastern district at Sun & Cider. They were found intoxicated and under the influence of unspecified substances. They were taken into custody under suspicious of involvement in the Arrow case. I can’t say up to what degree, but it is suspected of their involvement in the trafficking industry is significant. I will be taking questions now.” The flashing of lights blinked harshly, and the reporters sprung into action nearly screaming questions out.

You could only laugh and smile, it felt good knowing that karma was coming around full circle.

That wasn’t the only good news, you heard through Jungkook that Uncle back in Riverwood, the one that runs the orchard where Taehyung’s father used to work, finally came forth with what happened the day Tae’s father went missing. He saved the gum that Archer spit in his office from all those years ago, hoping to prove that Archer was there. He said the lab was running test on it and if does belong to Archer then it’ll be crucial evidence.

There’s so much information and evidence coming out of the woodwork that it took months upon months to accumulate and process. Following it took a few months more for the case to go to trial in court. It made it all the way to the highest court, the supreme court.

The nations eyes were on this case…giving reason why everyone gathered in your room to watch the live jurisdiction, the final verdict.

“Shhh, shhh, everyone it’s on!” Everyone adjusted themselves in the room to face the broadcast. Taehyung adjust his position and meandered his hand into yours, squeezing it lightly in assurance (for himself or you you weren’t quite sure).

Your mother set down the food she was feeding you and your dad took her into his arms, while resting a hand on Tae’s mothers shoulder as well. Everyone was connected or latched on to someone whether it was just sitting air tight next to someone or holding their hand.

The reporter spoke outside the court house, “Hi, John. I’m outside the courthouse where the largest joint trail and its final session is taking place today. The popularly nicknamed case ‘Bow and Arrows’ has been in court for over six months. The public is very adamant about this case, and many other hybrids have come to light about their struggles in light of this case. The Protection Society for Hybrids Association, PSHA, spoke out yesterday—oh, oh, the judge has returned from session! Let’s head inside the court room.”

The judge signals towards the jury, “Will the jury foreperson please stand? Has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?”

Jury Foreperson stands up from his wooden seat. “Yes, your honor.”

The clerk steps over chewing gum obnoxiously taking the verdict form, then handing it to the judge. The thin, rectangular glasses sat at the edge of the judge’s button nose. The whole room was quiet, no sneezing, coughing, or even the soft rustling of clothing. The judge nods twice then handed the form back to the clerk.

The clerk takes a deep breath carefully reading out, “The jury finds the defendant—.”

You can feel your heart beat pounding so hard in your chest, your ears burning in anticipation. You only catch on part of the statement over the buzzing sounds of your system in overdrive.

“The jury finds the defendants Peter “Arrow” Sagitta, Peter Sagitta Sr., Justin Yates, William Gordie guilty. Peter Sagitta is charged with first degree murder, participating in a gang…Yates is charged with trafficking of hybrid beings—.” The judge continues on with charges, but the words feel a bit unrealistic as they tickle your ears. You pinch your cheek, and yes, it is very much real. Justice…found its way through the darkness.

The judge speaks, “Thank you to the jury. Everyone is excused. Court is adjourned.” He raised his gavel banging it against the wooden base twice before raising from his seat and leaving the courtroom.

We watch on as Arrow erupted from his seat swinging and knocking around items, screaming “Dad, do something!” Security steps in restraining him. His father is sitting with his hands on the table knuckles turning white.

He stands up abruptly and begins strangling his son, “You son of a bitch! I’ve given you everything! You are a disgrace!”

Despite lady justice tipping the balance in our favor, the result felt a bit empty. The man who really set the earthquake in our lives isn’t here to reap what he sowed. Taehyung’s father murder was punished too easily, sent to the grave by his maker, but that will never be enough to repay for the lives lost at his hand.

Taehyung looked over to you with tears in his eyes, “We…did it. It’s over.”

He looked to his mother, who also had tears in her eyes, she turned towards the both of us smiling through the tears, “You did it.”

.

.

.

True closure didn’t come until months later when you’re finally able to leave the hospital.

You asked Tae’s Mom to help you zip up the back of your dress, exchanging it out from your hospital gown. It’s a simple black dress, situationally appropriate. Taehyung picked you both up from the hospital making the trek back home, back to Riverwood.

Tae parked amongst the lot of cars sitting outside your parents’ house. Everyone was gathered inside, dressed in either dark suits or dresses awaiting us. Familiar faces that you haven’t crossed paths with in years like Hoseok’s parents and orchard Uncle were amongst the crowd.

You held onto Tae’s mothers hand, while Taehyung held onto yours and his other on his mother’s shoulder. “Thanks for joining us for this special occasion, does everyone have a candle?”

The group congregated outside and one by one each candle lit up, passing the flame onto each until it was just yours left. Taehyung bent his candles wick to yours, a rectangular smile glowing twice as much as your wick caught light.

Tae gazed over the memorial crowd, observing the faces that have shaped his past, present, and future. You turned towards Tae, “Lead the way.” He nodded taking the first step down the dirt road, leading the flickering lights home.

A night like this remined you of the nights the fireflies and the fox (or as Hoseok called it now, with pun intended: The Guardians of the Galaxy) would spend on the patio reclining back on the platform staring at the stars, while Tae’s mother used to cook in the kitchen and Tae’s dad sang poorly to the portable radio. Even without the radio on he always sang one song because it was the only one he could remember the lyrics too. He would always serenade Mama Jelly with it and she’d melt in his arms each time. We’d all shout dramatically from the platform bed, “Eww, gross,” when Jelly would reward him with a kiss. His father caught on to the childish shouts as he’d turned towards us and come outside to chase us all threatening affection. It reignited the fireflies resting on the blades of grass in the yard.

You hummed it at first, then began softly singing, “…Watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you’re far away and dreaming.” You turned towards Tae who raised a brow at you, then his eyes light up in recognition.

He picked up where you left off, “I could spend my life in this sweet surrender…I could stay lost in this moment forever, “ you jump in again, “every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure.”

You don’t expect it but, the group you now associate as “the seven trouble makers”, Hoseok, Jin, Jungkook, Namjoon, Jimin, Yoongi belt out, “Don’t want to close my eyes, I don’t want to fall asleep cause I’d miss you, baby, And I don’t wanna miss a thing!”

You’re both laughing as more people join in, “Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream would never do, I’d still miss you, baby, and I don’t want to miss a thing!”

You look towards Taehyung mother silent tears streaming down her russet cheeks, “Oh, Mom.” You and Tae bring her in between the both of you, sandwiching her in a tight hug as we made it to the familiar picket fence of the house. We paused at the border looking at Mom before we entered. The emission of light from each candle cascaded home in a welcoming light. She stared at the house she once knew and was nearly built from the ground up. The shell of a once abandoned home was constructed with the hands of Mr. Kim, but it wasn’t given its meaning until the Kim family infecting their walls with their shared love. Her love. Her eyes glazed over as she recalled memories and the yearning she had to always come back.

The lights flickered from the pack behind us, but everyone respected the moment with silence as the song ended upon arrival. Mom spoke up voice a bit strained from holding back her tears, “I’m home Peanut.”

She’s the one who pushes the gate open, everyone pouring in after her standing in the backyard. Taehyung and you stood near the platform as the others filtered out around the yard in a half circle around you. You squeezed Tae’s hand as he stepped up onto the platform overlooking the crowd.

He pulled out a piece of paper from an inner pocket of his blazer, he deeply sighed as he unfolded it. He read over it silently once before he brought it towards his candle letting it catch flame. The once crisp white paper burned black, the wind picked up the pieces and ashes leaving the words unspoken. He cleared his throat, “I wrote down things I thought I wanted to say, but being here in front of you all makes me believe no script could be as fluid and genuine as things I want to just…say.”

He searched faces as he spoke, “I didn’t get the chance to know him. I didn’t get the chance to play catch when I was a kid. I didn’t get a chance to ask him for the greatest love advice he could offer about my crush in seventh grade. I didn’t get to sit down with him before I went off to college and get the talk. I didn’t get that.

However, the bits and pieces I’ve come to collect to tell the story of the man I know today were that he was a brave, courageous and a kind man, who would’ve done anything for his family and the people around him. He taught me that in the face of inconspicuous evil, I challenge it and bear responsibility of the aftermath.

My father was a victim of someone else’s suffering and a deep-rooted prejudice. I stand before you today with no hate in my heart, but pain for all those other families who have gone through similar things. It’s been my mission to change that, to prevent suffering, even if it was knocking at my doorstep at a time before.

Senseless hate must come to an end.

I can say there is nothing that can prepare you for loss. The vulnerability that comes after when you cry and leave your heart on your sleeve is terrifying. There comes a point where you realize you can’t do it on your own, and I’m lucky enough to have had not done it alone. Each one of you here have offered me a piece of a puzzle to put myself back together and become the man I am today.

So, even If I didn’t play catch, get terrible advice, or shy away from an awkward conversation, I gained something even more. I gained all of you, and that’s something that is priceless.

As we gather here today to remember and commemorate my dad’s life, lets bid him farewell as we mourn the loss of a lively, dignified soul. A soul that brought joy and fulfilment to many, and whose legacy will live on forever.”

Designated individuals hand Taehyung’s Mother and Taehyung white carnations, daisies and rosemary. Each offer a polite smile and some small words of assurance.

As we all took a moment of silence lights flickered amongst the grass, one takes flight between Taehyung and his mother gracing their shoulder with a momentary landing before many more follow. The stars in the sky are dimmed by the fireflies dancing in the yard. The blue world turned orange.

.

.

.

“I’m alright Tae.” You squeeze your hand over his in assurance.

He pulled back reaching into his pocket as you sat up straight again with a raised brow. Before he fully brings his hand out of his pocket he looks back up at you, licking his lips in hesitation, oddly nervous. “I feel like this is long overdue, but nothing has ever gone according to plan between us. I don’t think it ever will, but with you I’m okay with that. Firefly, because of you I’ve never felt more alive and happier…I know no greater strength than when I am with you.”

You pull back and look at him, and you just see adoration and love in his eyes. He finally pulled out what’s in his pocket. It’s a small white box and he opens it slowly, carefully watching your expression as it reveals a necklace inside. The thin golden chain reflected like honey under the golden lights, and at the apex of the chain hangs a small fox charm. He continued, “I feel silly asking this, but…will you be my girlfriend y/n?”

You bunched up your hair and turn slightly, silently asking him to put it on for you. He followed the request his warm hands grazing the nape of your neck and slowly pulled away once he clasped it secure.

You turn back to him inspecting the piece. You’ve never owned something so precious and beautiful, “Yes.”

He gently tipped your head upwards with his thumb, eyes swirling deep with emotions that can never find the right vocabulary. He leaned in and presses his soft lips to yours for a few seconds and pulls back resting his forehead on yours. He gazes down at the necklace, then back to your eyes before closing them to kiss you deeper, slowly working his lips against yours.

You pulled away to catch a breath, our breaths mingling into one as our noses brushed, “I’ll always be your light Tae-Tae.”

The world seems to fade out as the light flickering in his eyes crinkle with his boxy smile. He pulls you in sealing your lips with his.

Your job being a protector will never come to an end, but you can stop searching. You’ve finally come home. The firefly will always guard the fox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 07/27/2018:[The Firefly that Guards the Fox 11](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/176354609133/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox-part-11-final)


	12. Epilogue

Still being written--stay tuned.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr on 01/06/2018: [The Firefly that Guards the Fox](https://magicalsalamander.tumblr.com/post/169386065243/the-firefly-that-guards-the-fox)


End file.
